Taking forward a new vision for the future of dentistry
28 November 2024
By Catherine Rutland, Clinical Director at Denplan
In early 2021, we published our first white paper on ‘The Future of Dentistry’. With expert input from our members, the paper looked to provide government with solutions to address unprecedented challenges for dentistry during the Covid-19 pandemic – including altered working practices and limited access to dental care for patients.
With a new government in post, and a set of opposition parties who have each set out commitments on the need to tackle the crisis in access to dentistry, we have a timely opportunity to shine a light on what needs to change to improve dental care across the country. Additionally, with the Government’s forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS, it is key that we come together as a sector to set out a vision for a future where all patients have access to care, practices are fairly rewarded and dental teams feel fulfilled.
To do this we have developed a new white paper ‘Unlocking solutions to improving oral health’, which sets out 9 key recommendations to be taken forward by the Government, policymakers, NHS leaders, private providers and partners from across the sector. With collaboration being at the centre of this work, the white paper was launched at a parliamentary roundtable event this week – with discussions focusing on how the sector can deliver a sustainable and accessible dental service for all.
Denplan’s new white paper
Based on our member survey and 2024 Oral Health Survey, our report outlines member priorities and insights from patients. It includes an overarching recommendation for all aspects of the dental sector – including representatives from NHS, private practice, dental schools, regulatory bodies, and patient advocacy groups – to have a seat at the table in conversations to access to care across the UK, with a focus on ensuring access for the most vulnerable.
It also set out recommendations against three key aims:
1. Empower and elevate the entire dental workforce
The government should work with the dental sector to support the training and personal development of dental professionals’ careers in order to improve retention and recruitment issues; and practices should be given guidance on how training can support the use of the whole dental team, to allow them to operate at the top of their capabilities and improve practice capacity.
2. Prioritise and expand preventative care initiatives
There should be a greater focus on reducing the incidence of disease rather than addressing issues as they arise. Routes to this include improved local commissioning of oral health improvement programmes; a formal role for dentists on Integrated Care Boards to ensure dentistry is prioritised and funding is allocated; national campaigns on oral health and stronger legislation; and regulation on unhealthy food and drink.
3. Ensure financial sustainability and reform funding models
The government and the NHS must seek to balance the delivery of care through different payment models, putting patient care first; provide a timeline for consultation on the dental contract; issue centralised guidance to commissioners on how to fairly modify contracts to allow dentists to operate more sustainably; and prioritise guidance around flexible commissioning to ensure children and vulnerable adults have consist access to NHS dental services.
Driving parliamentary action
The parliamentary launch event was sponsored by Helen Morgan MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, and chaired by Stephen Hancocks, Editor-in-Chief of the British Dental Journal. It brought together stakeholders from across the dental landscape including representatives from registrant groups, defence and charitable organisations and member groups to discuss how the report’s ambitions can be realised.
The conversation underscored the need for the dental sector to find a unified way forward, working to inform and support the Government in its ambitions to shift care from hospitals to the community and transition toward a preventative model of care – with a focus on how the system can deliver effectively for the most vulnerable.
It was recognised that nationwide action is needed on areas such as public oral health campaigns, improving support for commissioning dental services, and valuing all aspects of the dental workforce including private practitioners, dental nurses, and hygienists. Reflections were also shared on the role of Integrated Care Boards, including the importance of dental representatives to ensure dentistry is prioritised in planning and budgets are protected alongside competing priorities. These solutions do not need to be imposed on us but instead informed, developed, and driven by the sector itself, ensuring collective ownership of the future of dentistry.
While there was a palpable sense of excitement in the room for delivering against these issues, there was also an acknowledgement that we are just at the start of the journey.
What’s next?
Our task now is to take the reports ambitions forward. We have an important opportunity to call on the Government to ensure that dentistry and oral healthcare do not get lost in the noise surrounding the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. As discussed at the roundtable event, the voice of the dental sector must be heard.
We must continue to leverage policy opportunities to show how these recommendations align with the national legislative agenda, for example with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill receiving its Second Reading in Parliament in November – can this open up a wider conversation around the need for all aspects of health to be included in the Government’s ‘prevention-first revolution’, including oral health?
We must also continue to show how delivering against the calls of the white paper can support with relieving pressure on a hugely strained NHS. Currently, the Government will be focused on implementing changes it knows will enable patients to feel tangible improvements in relation to their health between now and a future general election –improving access to dental services should sit firmly within this.
The role Denplan members can play
At the end of the roundtable, Stephen Hancocks reminded attendees of their power as both voters and sector organisations to engage parliamentarians from across all parties, who have a responsibility to champion the concerns of their constituents in Parliament and call for national policy leadership on this issue.
We at Denplan are incredibly grateful to every one of our 6,600 member dentists for your valuable contributions to our report and tireless work to advocate for accessible dental care. We call on you to share The Future of Dentistry white paper far and wide and to use it to support your advocacy efforts. We look forward to building on these strong foundations and taking this work forward with our members – working in partnership in 2025 and beyond, to unlock solutions to improving oral health.