Government dental report branded a 'whitewash' as patients continue to suffer

More than half the population still has no access to NHS treatment and the number of dentists has fallen by 500, but health minister Ann Keen said services had got better in many areas.

She issued a major report into the first year of controversial reforms, saying: "Patients are already experiencing the positive results."

The Liberal Democrats branded the report a "total whitewash".

Figures show today that fewer than 30million children and adults are seeing an NHS dentist - the same number as before the overhaul.

Dentists' contracts were changed last year to improve access and simplify payment. They were given the same money for treating fewer patients to get away from the "drill and fill" culture and to attract more to the NHS.

Primary care trusts, which "buy" care for their communities, were given responsibility for the £2.3billion national budget. But there was a shortfall in money from fees, leaving PCTs struggling to pay dentists.

Strict quotas on treatment numbers also meant some dentists who worked quickly were not allowed to take on extra patients.

Today's announcement, the first audit of the new system, dismissed many concerns but said there were still challenges ahead.

It said the 500 dentists who had left the NHS did not have many NHS patients.

Mrs Keen added that PCTs were creating new NHS services in areas of need. Under the old system this was not possible. In Milton Keynes, health bosses set up a new practice with capacity for 8,500 patients.

Mrs Keen's report says: "There is still more to do to help people who are looking to find an NHS dentist and this is a challenge for some parts of the country. However, putting right two decades of deterioration in NHS coverage is not the work of 12 months."

She said it would take longer for PCTs to match the needs of the population.

Dental leaders said the report showed NHS services had declined.

Peter Ward, chief executive of the British Dental Association, said: "This will do little to rebuild trust with the profession. By the Government's own admission, we now have fewer NHS dentists and access to care for patients remains patchy."

Derek Watson, of the Dental Practititioners Association, said: "This report is completely out of touch with dentists and patients on the ground. There are more courses of treatment being done, but far less is actually done on each course. This is a masterpiece of spin. It is ridiculous."

Norman Lamb, health spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, called for an independent review into the contract.

"This report is almost Orwellian in its interpretation of the truth. It has accurately identified the problems of access to an NHS dentist, yet claims that the new contract is improving the situation where there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary. This report is a total whitewash."

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "This is the latest in a long series of NHS mismanagements under Labour. Eight years ago, Tony Blair promised everyone would have access to an NHS dentist but in the last year alone, 1.4 million fewer people have access."

The Federation of London Local Dental Committees said some dentists preferred the new contract as it guaranteed income.