BDA requests capital funding from government

The British Dental Association has written a letter to Matt Hancock requesting capital funding for dental practices.

The letter, written by BDA chair Eddie Crouch and addressing the DHSC and all devolved administrations, has asserted that the current procedures surrounding fallow time and air change per hour are not feasible for most dental practices, with the estimated cost of equipment and works to become compliant starting at £10k.

To this end, Mr Crouch has requested capital funding from the government in order for dental practices to meet these costs, saying, “Practices need capital investment from the government to help reduce their fallow time, increase capacity and, once and for all, improve access for all.”

The BDA’s chief concern is that the current restrictions on dental practices mean that almost 19m dental treatments have been missed since March and patients are not receiving the care that they need. Mr Crouch appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to express the important role that dentists play in the public’s health, especially regarding the diagnosis of oral cancer.