Over the past two years 481 children have had their teeth extracted at Queen’s Hospital after presenting in the Emergency Department due to a lack of dental appointments. Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, Margaret Mullane, expressed that “this collapse in dentistry is a damning indictment of 14 years of Tory rule in Britain.”
The Government announced on Friday 21st February that in the coming months the NHS will roll out 700,000 extra dental appointments, delivering on Labour’s manifesto commitment.
Margaret Mullane MP said: “Queen’s Hospital is creaking under pressure with increased patients presenting at the Emergency Department. Improving access to additional NHS services in the community, such as dentistry, will help alleviate some of this pressure – ensuring that those needing dental care receive the best possible treatment and equally ensuring that our only Emergency Department isn’t overwhelmed.”
The need for dental appointments in Dagenham and Rainham is desperate, with access to NHS dentistry becoming a lottery in more deprived regions of the country. At present the number one reason that five- to nine-year-olds are admitted to hospital is because of tooth decay.
Under the new proposals an extra 17,452 urgent care appointments are to be delivered across the North East London area.
Margaret concluded: “Under the Tories it wasn’t only the government which was in decay. In recent years it has become near impossible for people in my constituency to get an NHS dental appointment and the situation has become almost farcical. We can’t have children sat in A&E for hours waiting to have their teeth pulled out. I don’t expect this to be resolved overnight, but I am delighted that this Labour Government is taking such an important step not only repairing NHS dentistry but making it fit for the future.”
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