Amid horror stories of people pulling their own teeth out and children being left in agony, the Oxford Mail found just ONE of Oxfordshire’s dentists is currently accepting new adult NHS patients.
According to the NHS ‘Find a Dentist’ online service, just one surgery in Henley was clearly open to all NHS patients without a referral and nine more were open only to children.
Referrals can only usually be made when a patient is already registered with a dentist.
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The British Dental Association warned NHS dentistry is on the brink of collapse.
The association confirmed that across the country, 1,100 fewer dentists performed NHS work in the 2022/23 financial year than before the pandemic.
Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee welcomed a report from the Commons Health Committee which said the system is "unacceptable in the 21st century".
He said: "From reform to funding the committee has provided an instruction manual to save NHS dentistry.
"The real question now is whether government or opposition are ready to use it.
"Failure to act will condemn this service to oblivion."
A local dentist, who did not wish to be named, said the reason NHS patients were not being accepted was that, since 2006, they have worked for the NHS under a contract that means they lose money.
This is because the state funding package does not cover their costs.
They are paid according to “units of dental activity” (UDA), which no longer relate to the costs of treatment.
The NHS contract also means dentists get paid for a certain number of patients, but this number is restricted, they said.
Dentists providing NHS treatment are listed on the NHS ‘Find a Dentist’ online service, with practices expected to keep their details up to date.
Unlike GP services, dental patients can sign up to practices outside of their home area.
However, these are the dental practices currently listed as accepting new NHS patients in Oxfordshire:
Accepting children aged 17 or under
David Barrett & John Coulter
Cornmarket Street Dental Practice, 3rd Floor, 11-12 Cornmarket Street, Oxford, OX1 3EX
Bupa Dental Care
BUPA Dental Care Ltd, 22 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2NA
Iffley Dental
2 Rose Hill, Iffley, OX4 4HS
Westbridge Dental Practice
Westbridge Dental Practice, 127 Pound Way, Templars Square, Oxford, OX4 3XH
Wootton Dental Centre
4 Besselsleigh Road, Wootton, OX13 6DN
Cherry Tree Dental Practice
Cherrytree Dental Care, Vale Avenue, Grove, Wantage, OX12 7LU
Watlington Dental Centre
7 Shirburn Street, Watlington, OX49 5BU
Bloxham Dental Practice
Godswell Stables, Church Street, Bloxham, OX15 4ES
Bloxham Dental@Banbury (Bloxdent Ltd)
49 South Bar Street, Banbury, OX16 9AB
Accepting adults aged 18 and over
Damira Henley-On-Thames Dental Practice
Damira Henley, 33-35 Duke Street, Henley-On-Thames, Oxford, Oxfordshire, RG9 1UR
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted.
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