Patients going to GP with toothache cost NHS £26 million
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- Published: Tuesday, 06 September 2016 07:40
- Written by News Editor
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The Times reports that hundreds of thousands of GP appointments are being taken by patients with toothache as they try to avoid rising fees for NHS dentists. The article, co-written by health editor Chris Smyth and GDP, Neel Kothari, says that data from a study of 280,000 GP consultations over ‘tooth problems’ was used to estimate that 600,000 appointments a year are made by patients seeking dental care, costing the NHS more than £26 million a year.
GDPC chair, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, was quoted as saying that dentists were being used as ‘tax collectors’. He added: “Ministers insist the NHS will remain free at the point of use but keep ramping up England’s dental charges. Increasingly they look like a tax on health. Already these inflated charges are pushing those who can’t pay towards overstretched GPs.”
Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, said: “We have had cases of some people resorting to sacrificing money which they need to pay for food and bills, in order to pay for dental treatment. This simply must not be allowed to continue. The longer we leave between dental visits the likelihood of developing tooth decay increases. This is also a major barrier for the early diagnosis of mouth cancer.”
GPs say that they can do nothing for patients with most types of dental problems, and going to the doctor causes longer waits for people who genuinely need medical treatment. Maureen Baker, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “GPs are in no position, and shouldn’t be put in a position, to treat patients with dental problems.”
The Department of Health said: “Raising dental charges is always a difficult decision but this money is reinvested into the NHS budget. The number of people accessing dental treatment is increasing year on year, with 93 per cent of people who tried to get an NHS dentist appointment in the last two years being successful.”
Link to article: [which is behind paywall].
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