Children in Wales deprived of sufficient dental care

A Freedom of Information Request submitted by Plaid Cymru Minister Cefin Campbell has revealed more than 4,500 people in Powys are on the waiting list for an NHS dentist of which over 500 are children.  

Powys, a Welsh county, currently has 568 children waiting to be seen by an NHS dentist. Speaking on the Senedd during a statement by the Welsh government’s Health Minister on dental reform, Mr Campbell, MS for mid and west Wales cited these figures.

Research that was uncovered by the BBC in 2022 found that no dental practice in Mid and West Wales was accepting adult patients, but a recent report completed by the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee warned support cannot be targeted in the right place to tackle the current backlog, deeming there is no clear picture of how many people are currently on the waiting list.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan MS made a statement last week outlining the actions taken by the government to address the current crisis.

Ms Morgan said: ‘Dentistry is one of my top priorities, I want to develop an NHS dental service that is fair for dentists and that meets the needs of the population, one that is based on preventative principles and provides everybody with an opportunity to take responsibility for their own oral health.’

In addition to Welsh children struggling to see a dentist, the BBC have reported some children in the South of England have never ‘seen a toothbrush’.

The national media outlet spoke to Dentist, Stuart McCance, who visits schools to check children’s dental health and he claimed that for some of the six-year-olds he treated, it was there first time seeing a dental professional.

Mr McCance said: ‘In some instances, we’re finding it’s the first-time kids have seen a dentist – and they’re five or six years-old – when we should be seeing children from six months when their first tooth comes in.

‘Some more worryingly have never seen a toothbrush. I did a visit and some were seeing one for the first time at six years of age.’

Stuart McCance is part of a voluntary dental scheme called Happy Smiles Club, which is free for schools and has been run by staff at John G Plummer dentists in Norwich since March last year.

Image: Carlos Magno