Fund free dental care for all
- Parliament:
- 2019–24
- Signatures:
- 12,896
- Responded:
- 9 Nov 2023
- Department:
- Department of Health and Social Care
The petition
Dental treatment is an essential aspect of healthcare that should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial status. Unfortunately, in England, dental treatment is not free for most people and this has led to a situation where many individuals are unable to access the care they need.
Thousands of people are suffering from dental problems that could have been prevented or treated if they had access to free dental care. A poll by YouGov of 1,723 adults in England found almost 23 per cent report delaying or going without NHS dental treatment due to the cost. Some 38 per cent of people polled said dentistry should be fully funded by the Government through general taxation, effectively free at the point of delivery.
Research has shown that poor oral health can lead to other serious health issues such as heart disease and diabetes. Free dental care could save the NHS money by reducing these issues and other dental issues.
The government's response
Dental patient charges provide an important contribution to NHS budgets. A number of patients are already exempt from patient charges and we have no current plans to extend these provisions.
Our latest Dental Statistics Annual Report for England shows that 47.5% of courses of treatments were delivered free of charge to NHS dental patients in 2022-23.
There are a range of exemptions from NHS dental patient charges to support patients who are most likely to have difficulty with meeting the cost of dental care. This includes:
* under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education; * pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months; * being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist (patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges).
Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission. Further information about support with NHS dental charges is available from the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/get-help-with-dental-costs/
The NHS in England invests £3 billion in dentistry every year and we are working hard to improve access.
We have also ensured that the full NHS dental budget made available each year is spent on delivering NHS dental care. To that end, NHS England have provided guidance for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) that requires dental funding to be ringfenced, with any unused resources re-directed to improve NHS dental access in the first instance. NHS England’s 2023-24 revenue finance and contracting guidance, which provides more detail, is available at the following link: