By: Larissa Fong

Photo by rawpixel.com, CCBY 1.0 on rawpixel.com

1. Rise in mouth cancer deaths linked to NHS dentist shortages

In England, Dentistry cuts were blamed after figures have shown a 46% increase in oral cancer deaths from 2011 to 2021. 

NHS England’s purpose is to lead the National Health Service (NHS) in England and to deliver high-quality service for all. They ensure that the healthcare workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to patients and the public. 

Patients and oral health campaigners said mouth cancer has caused a sharp rise in deaths over the last decade which has beenlinked to a decline in access to NHS dentists. Campaigns that were involved include Oral Health Foundation (ORF), Toothless in England (a campaign for free dentistry) and the British Dental Association. 

According to figures from the ORF, more than 3,000 people in England have died from mouth cancer in 2021 compared to 2,075 in 2011 which represented an increase of 46%. The number of active NHS dentists in England was at its lowest level in decades. According to the British Dental Association, 23, 577 dentists carried out NHS work in the 2022-2023 financial year. This was the lowest number since 2012-2013. Hence, up to 90% of practices were not accepting new NHS patients. 

“With access to NHS dentistry in tatters, we fear that many people with more cancer will not receive a timely diagnosis.” 

Nigel Carter, the chief executive of the ORF

The Department of Health and Social Care said an increase in NHS dental care since the pandemic meant progress was being made.

2. BC Dental Association President says cost and fear keeps people away from the dentist

Over the past 12 months, 68.5% of British Columbian residents have seen a dental professional. This has been the highest rate among all the provinces according to the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey from Stats Canada. 

The President of the BC Dental Association, Dr Robert Wolanski, is the owner of Lakeside Dental Clinic. It has been based in Nanaimo for over three decades. He stated to Vista Radio in an interview that dentists often must play the role of a psychiatrist to ease the anxiety of patients who need work done. He noted some cases of anxiety from patients can get quite extreme prior to performing any sort of procedure.

He stated, “Fear is a real big piece in people not showing up to the office. There are issues that other people have such as embarrassment where they feel that someone comes in and they haven’t had any dental work in many years and feel embarrassed. What I often say is don’t feel embarrassed we are not here to judge; we are here to help you. We work hard to be able to get those people into a healthy situation in terms of pain and infection but also to improve their appearance where they have the confidence to even just do an interview. Dentists do a lot of work in other areas where people have struggled in the past. The skill set that dentists have in terms of trying to alleviate that is critical because if you don’t and they have a poor experience, they will not come back. It’s what we do all day. In fact, I had a patient that I have seen for many years, but she is in a situation where she is struggling, and I spent probably 45 minutes just talking about mental health issues and other things that we could help her with not related to dentistry – we do a lot of that.”

According to the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey from Stats Canada, 24.8% of those living in BC avoided going to the dentist in the past 12 months due to cost. 

First Nations people living off-reserve also reported that cost was a barrier to seeing a dentist professional. Wolanksi stated the Indigenous population in Canada was covered by the federal dental benefits program called None Insured Health Benefit Program (NIHB). He stated it was an initiative that was considered less than ideal. 

Wolanski said, “The First Nations Health Authority is now administering a plan through Pacific Blue Cross and the plan is much better and more normalized insurance plan. This does not exist in the rest of Canada. If you go to the territorial areas, 50-85% of patients that a dentist sees are still covered under the NIHB. BC is very unique in that program and that is of great assistance to the First Nations population of this country.”

Nearly 60% of BC residents have private dental insurance while 30.5% do not. Wolanski and the rest of his colleagues are in full support for a new national dental insurance plan assisting Canada’s most vulnerable. 

Wolanski stated, “We want to make sure that the program focuses on the most vulnerable people. We want to make sure the program doesn’t impact the existing dental plans that two-third of Canadians have access to. That would not be a helpful thing. All presidents of all dental associations across the country are signatories to a letter we recently sent out to the MP’s stating that we were supportive of that. A well-designed program can certainly help with the most vulnerable people, and these would be those nine million we are talking about.”

The federal government is planning on rolling out the initiative which will cover up to nine million Canadians with a family income of less than $90,000. This was expected to begin before the end of 2023 for children under the age of 18, people with disabilities and seniors. The initiative is anticipated to be in full effect by 2025.

3. Free Dentistry Day in Kelowna

Orchard Smiles in Kelowna (British Columbia) is offering a free dentistry day on November 26th 2023 to help address the unmet dental needs of individuals in their community. They are a family-owned dental practice who strive to aid those that may not have access to dental care. Dentists at Orchard Smilesunderstand that adequate dental care is unattainable for many individuals in Okanagan. Subsequently, they provided an opportunity to help. 

The name Orchard Smiles came as a tribute to Jaswel’s family’s upbringing (the family behind the practice) and their involvement with agriculture. 

The practice supplies support for anxious patients, free onsite parking, multiple appointment bookings for families, wheelchair accessibility and short wait times. The team of receptionists, assistants, hygienists and dentists will be there to help those in need of dental care. It is Orchard Smiles’ goal to treat as many patients as possible. However, they are expecting an abundance of applicants on November 26th and may not be able to provide care to all of those in need.

Works Cited

Henderson, George. “BC Dental Association President Says Cost and Fear Keeps People Away from the Dentist.” My Cariboo Now, 8 Nov. 2023, http://www.mycariboonow.com/92652/news/bc-dental-association-president-says-avoided-trips-to-the-dentist-centre-around-cost-fear/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

NHS England. “NHS England About Us .” NHS England , NHS, http://www.england.nhs.uk/about/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

Weaver, Matthew. “Rise in Mouth Cancer Deaths Linked to NHS Dentist Shortages, Say Campaigners.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Nov. 2023, http://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/08/rise-mouth-cancer-deaths-linked-nhs-dentist-shortages-campaigners-england. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

Zielinski, Jen. “Free Dentistry Day in Kelowna.” Kelowna Capital News, 6 Nov. 2023, http://www.kelownacapnews.com/business/free-dentistry-day-in-kelowna-6832255. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.