A LEADING NHS dentistry campaigner will this week challenge his county council on whether it has kept its promises made two years ago to tackle inqualities in dental care.
Toothless in Huntingdon founder Simon Brignell, whose group supports local people unable to access dental services, says the situation remains dire despite small improvements since the 2023 motion, with hundreds of residents still left without NHS dental care.
On Thursday, he will challenge Cambridgeshire County Council’s health committee to provide updates on a 2023 motion aimed at tackling inequalities in dental care, promoting oral health in schools, exploring mobile dental clinics and reforming NHS contracts.
He will also ask for evidence that the 14,000 emergency dental appointments promised to the area have actually been delivered.
“According to GP Patient Survey Data released in July, one in three residents can’t get an NHS dentist appointment and 90 per cent of practices aren’t taking new patients,” he said. “Many people have stopped even trying.
“Dental health shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s a fundamental part of public health. I’m constantly reminded of Nye Bevan’s words: No society can call itself civilised if people are denied care because of lack of means.”
The December 2023 motion, passed after nearly 400 people signed a petition calling on the local integrated care board to address ongoing dentistry issues, urged the council to work more closely with the board and local Toothless in England groups and to ask the board about setting up mobile dental units for those in desperate need.
