YourVoice@Healthwatch - Dentistry Watch Again

30 March 2022, Healthwatch Lincolnshire held a live Q+A Session on Dental Services in Lincolnshire.  The Panel was chaired by Pauline Mountain MBE, Trustee of HWLincs with Lucy Gavens Public Health, Kenneth Hume Chair of Lincolnshire Dental Committee and Adam Morby NHS England and NHS Improvement. With over 50 questions submitted by Lincolnshire residents, the Panel addressed a number of the key issues raised. 

Main concerns were:  current challenges for dentists in Lincolnshire, lack of access to NHS dentists, how is NHS England addressing the issues around dentistry, how is the additional funding being used, what provision is being made for children and young people with additional needs, why is children’s tooth decay so high in Lincolnshire and what is Public Health going to do about this.2

Information shared: aspirations to have a local dental school in Lincolnshire, ongoing recruitment of dentists and support staff, utilising the skill set of the existing staff, extended access to NHS dentists through the additional funding for current staff to offer more appointments, discussions Anglian Water and local councils in relation to fluoride in local water, health visitor universal offer to families and education about looking after our teeth and gums, education programmes through schools to prevent tooth decay.