The government’s announcement last week of extra funding to give more people access to NHS dental care was extremely timely.

While there is a shortage of NHS dentists across the country, the problem has long been particularly acute in Salisbury.

I know that a number of constituents currently resort to looking out of area to secure some forms of urgent treatment.


Read more: Man resorts to supergluing dentures amid dentistry crisis


Throughout the pandemic, our excellent dentists have rightly prioritised the safety of their patients and staff by introducing enhanced infection control measures.

Although necessary, these measures restricted the number of dentistry appointments that the NHS has been able to offer, compounding long-standing issues caused by insufficient numbers of people entering the profession.

Even now, the smooth operation of our dental surgeries is unavoidably compromised by COVID absences and missed appointments, reducing their capacity to address the backlog, try as they might.

The extra government funding will kick in immediately and help to secure up to 350,000 additional dental appointments.

These will be targeted at those most in need of urgent dental treatment – people suffering pain, children and individuals with special needs. This is all extremely welcome, but I am also concerned with how commissioning bodies can work to ensure that new dentists are attracted to come to work in areas like ours, where the gulf between demand and capacity is particularly wide.

Naturally, I am pleased that the government has restated its commitment to recovering and reforming NHS dentistry.

This includes working with the British Dental Association to look at alternative ways of commissioning and to improve dental training to make it more attractive as a career. I hope these ongoing conversations will also address embedded structural issues around the business models operated by dentists.

To rescue the profession and achieve the right balance of NHS and private care, we must find ways to improve incentives to retain NHS capacity alongside more lucrative private practice.

This week, I am speaking at a City UK dinner in London until late on Thursday night, so I will be up bright and early on Friday to drive straight back to Pitton and Winterslow for a double school visit to catch up on their progress under the umbrella of the Pickwick Academy Trust.

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