Dentists and doctors have criticised the government’s plan to revive NHS dentistry in England, which they said failed to tackle systemic problems that deny access to timely treatment. The NHS Dental Recovery Plan for England includes bonuses of £20 000 for up to 240 dentists who set up practices in remote areas, provision of roaming dental treatment vans, a water fluoridation programme, and higher payments for some NHS dental work.1 Latest data show that nearly a third (29.3%) of 5 year olds in England have enamel or dental decay, with prevalence reaching 38.7% in the north west.2 In an interview with The BMJ last year Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, called the state of children’s teeth a “national disgrace,” with dental clearance the commonest reason for a child having …

Dentists and doctors have criticised the government’s plan to revive NHS dentistry in England, which they said failed to tackle systemic problems that deny access to timely treatment. The NHS Dental Recovery Plan for England includes bonuses of £20 000 for up to 240 dentists who set up practices in remote areas, provision of roaming dental treatment vans, a water fluoridation programme, and higher payments for some NHS dental work.1 Latest data show that nearly a third (29.3%) of 5 year olds in England have enamel or dental decay, with prevalence reaching 38.7% in the north west.2 In an interview with The BMJ last year Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, called the state of children’s teeth a “national disgrace,” with dental clearance the commonest reason for a child having …