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Fury over dentist crisis
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor15.10.07
The Government was today under fire over its NHS dentist reforms which have forced a quarter of London patients to go private.
The average patient in the capital now pays £50 more a year after controversial reforms cut the number of practices.
A shocking report out today shows patients have also had to resort to DIY surgery due to a lack of an NHS alternative. There were even cases of people pulling out their own teeth with pliers.
This is just one finding from the largest survey carried out into Britain's dental care by the patient watchdog, the Commission-for Patient and Public Involvement for Health.
Four in five dentists surveyed said the new contract brought in last April to improve care had failed to make it easier for patients to get an NHS appointment and nearly three out of five warn the reforms have made the quality of care worse.
Sharon Grant, the commission's chairwoman, said: "The NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly."
