We need rigorous manpower planning for the current and future needs of our service, writes Dr John Puntis of Keep Our NHS Public
Your editorial on the crisis in dentistry (2 May) is timely. However, to suggest “tooth loss mainly affects people later in life” glosses over the fact that child dental health is in a poor state. Dental caries are the most common reason for five- to nine-year-olds in England to be admitted to hospital. Over 60,000 children were admitted to hospital to have teeth removed in 2015-16.
As Donna Ockenden pointed out in her review of maternity services, it is only with a robustly funded, well-staffed and trained workforce that safe and compassionate care can be delivered. This applies to all of the NHS, including dentistry.
