UK PM mythmaking on crisis in dentistry

UK PM mythmaking on crisis in dentistry

UK: The British Dental Association has urged Rishi Sunak to correct the record, after he offered a wholesale misrepresentation of the crisis facing NHS dentistry recently

In response to questions on patient access from Lancaster and Fleetwood's Cat Smith MP, the Prime Minister claimed: "as a result of the new reformed NHS dentistry contract there are now more NHS dentists across the UK with more funding making sure people can get the treatment they need."

The BDA have stressed that not one of the PM's claims is accurate. Each of these claims was subsequently repeated in exchanges with Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood.

The ongoing exodus from the NHS workforce saw 24,272 dentists perform NHS activity in England during 2021-22, lower than levels seen in 2017/18.