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South-East tops table for private dentist complaints
Amy Iggulden, Health Correspondent18 Dec 2007
People in London and the South-East are more likely to complain about private dentists that anywhere else in the country, figures show.
A report from independent watchdog the Dental Complaints Service said more than four in 10 protests were from patients in the capital and South-East - a total of 623. Yet roughly one in four of the population lives in the region - making the complaint ratio far higher than elsewhere.
Nationally, more than 1,500 people made formal complaints about their private dentist. Taking London alone, the figure was 257. People were concerned about poorly fitted crowns, cost, and attitude of dentists.
This is the first time private complaints have been handled by a single body. The number is expected to rise as more people hear about the scheme. The Dental Complaints Service was set up last year amid fears patient concerns were being ignored.
Most cases are sent back to the practice for resolution and dentists are asked to apologise to the patient or refund treatment. At least £138,000 was given back to patients nationally.
Only 16 cases were sent to a review panel because mediation failed.
Most complaints were dealt with in three days. "Speed is crucial. The longer it takes to resolve, the less likely it is to be resolved satisfactorily," said the service chair Derek Prentice.
Almost one in three Londoners now visits a private dentist.
However the number of protests over private work still is dwarfed by complaints over NHS dentistry. In London alone, there were more than 1,200 complaints about NHS practitioners in the year to April.
Reader views (3)
I think that NHS dentist have you over a barrel. Because there is such a long wait to get an NHS dentist, they can get away with superficial and less than 5 min long treatments. I finally got an NHS dentist and when we came for a check up they didn't even do an x-ray - and every time I have come back, I have been in and out in less than 5 mins with no effort put into the treatment. I don;t understand how they can assess a new patient without taking x-rays or decide that a tooth ache isn't about a cavity without taking an x-ray. But I have not got money to go to a private dentist, so I have no choice, but must admot that I feel taken for a ride.
- Johanne Charnock, York, United Kingdom, 25/03/2009 12:00
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I have been told by my dentist i need a root canal treatment at the cost of around £300 private. I have heard from other people that i can have it done on NHS as my funds are limited. My Dentist has refused to do this and will only carry out the treatment privately. Please tell me if the same person is providing the treatment with the same skills, why do i have to pay £300 which i can not afford, instead of £45. Is this man taking me for a ride?? How can i find out the truth?
- Georgina Crew, Bristol, 26/11/2008 10:50
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I have been to a dentist five times in the past two months about severe pain in my upper left jaw. He prescribed penicillin pills.
He extracted a capped tooth, still pain, I was told to wait for two months to allow the jaw to calm down, still extreme pain, I went back again and again, last Saturday 26th July, I went to an emergency dentist who told me a broken tooth must be filled and x-rays taken of the painful teeth. Please what must I do? I can't keep going back to the dentist and nothing is done.
- Ronald Coe, Bognor Regis, 26/11/2008 09:50
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