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“Third World” Dentistry Crisis in England says the Telegraph

January 15, 2016 by Ian Kerr

“Third World” Dentistry Crisis in England was the headline in Sunday’s Telegraph this week and was in a response to a letter written by Tony Kilcoyne a well known and respected dentist who is a specialist in prosthodontics. The letter was signed by over 400 dentists and was a move designed to call out current and previous governments and NHS England on what they see as the big “NHS Lie” regarding dental care, especially pediatric dental care here in England.

The crux of the problem is an every decreasing NHS budget and an ever increasing dependence on high sugar snacks and drinks from the very youngest of children upwards. I have written about the alarming increase in children’s decay (back in 2008) and now that even Jamie Oliver is talking about it surely everyone will take note.

This really is a sad reality and NHS England’s attempt to blind us with deliberately obfuscatory statistics that tells us we have all never had it so good does nothing to change the reality. Dental service and dental care have been on the decline in the NHS for decades and, as ever, the poorest are always the hardest hit. When I used to work at King’s Dental Hospital the admission policy was really a way of stemming a flood of patients into a steady drip as there was no capacity for the hospital to treat all of the referrals. This meant that patients with real need were returned to the referring practitioner complete with a treatment plan that was completely unworkable under any of the past few NHS contracts. The result was a terrible game of “referral tennis” with the patient caught in the middle having their time wasted whilst their condition deteriorated.

Of course as the owner of a private practice in a”leafy idyll” of Kent I am ripe for the accusation of hypocrite but StoneRock attempted to develop an NHS contract on a number of occasions over the past 10 years but was never able to as the local Primary Care Trusts lacked sufficient funds to open a new practice (even after the last one closed in Hawkhurst 10 years ago).

In the meantime, all we can do as a dental practice is promote dental education and prevention to allow all of our patients to learn how to control the health of their own mouths and ensure that they are doing all they can to prevent further dental problems. If anyone would like to learn how to do this then please contact the practice on 01580752202 and our reception team will be happy to arrange a short introductory hygiene prevention visit for you and your family with one of our hygiene team. Whilst we cannot offer this service for free we are certain that it will be the most cost effective way anyone can learn how to manage their dental health.

Filed Under: News

About Ian Kerr

Dr Ian Kerr BDS qualified in 1989 from Newcastle University Dental School and has worked ever since in both private practice and hospital settings. Following a short stint in a busy general practice in the North East Dr Kerr went to live and work in Trinidad, where he learnt a wide range of surgical skills and developed an interest in the treatment of tempero-mandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). On returning to the UK in 1994 Dr Kerr worked in a prestigious private practice in Bromley in Kent. During his time there he completed extensive post graduate training in advanced restorative techniques and further advanced his interest in TMD.

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About StoneRock Dental Care

StoneRock Dental Care is a stunning dental practice in Hawkhurst, Nr Cranbrook on the Kent and East Sussex border. We provide every level of care, from routine family dental visits to complete cosmetic dental makeovers, including dental implants, teeth whitening, veneers, bridges and other cosmetic dental and facial aesthetic techniques.

We know how hard it can be to choose a dentist and we know how tough it can be to decide what treatment is right for you, therefore we put your comfort and your well being at the heart of every treatment that we provide.

You can contact us on 01580 752202 or info@stonerock.co.uk

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StoneRock Dental Care is a trading name of SR Moors Limited · Registered Office: Stonerock House, High Street, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 4AG · Registered in England and Wales, Number: 6896953