Dental campaigners say they have been left "open mouthed" as new health secretary Thérèse Coffey outlined plans in the Commons on Thursday.

In a speech addressing MPs yesterday, Ms Coffey said: "We are setting out an ambition that everyone seeking NHS dental care can receive it when they need it.

“We will also be streamlining routes into NHS dentistry for those trained overseas, so they can start treating patients more quickly. We will make it a contractual requirement for dentists to publish online whether they are taking on new NHS patients.”

%image(15714981, type="article-full", alt="In a speech addressing MPs yesterday, Ms Coffey said: "We are setting out an ambition that everyone seeking NHS dental care can receive it when they need it")

The Government has also pledged to address variation in dental care and tackle “dental deserts”, saying it will make it easier for dentists who trained overseas to practice in the NHS.

The news comes as Suffolk faces as a county-wide dental crisis, with some residents facing life without a local surgery and only one district taking on new NHS patients.

In some areas, charity mobile clinics have had to treat residents who have been without an NHS dentist since April 2021.

Toothless in England, a group calling for an "NHS dentist for everyone", says they have been left "open mouthed" by the health secretary's latest statement.

Steve Marsling, co-coordinator of the Toothless in Suffolk branch, said: “In the Ministers’ statement, the Dental Crisis is ignored.

"The statement shows no understanding of the depth of the crisis affecting the country, and no solutions or funding are mentioned.

“Our invitation to the health secretary to get around the table with the Toothless campaigners, along with The British Dental Association, remains open.

%image(15714980, type="article-full", alt="Steve Marsling, co-coordinator of the Toothless in Suffolk branch, said: “In the Ministers’ statement, the Dental Crisis is ignored"")

"We have a plan that would help meet the needs of thousands left suffering in pain and discomfort, a plan that would also ensure that the country’s oral health needs would be met in the future.”

Earlier this month, Ms Coffey - who is also MP for Suffolk Coastal and Deputy Prime Minister - said she would prioritise the ABCDs of healthcare: ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists.

"Two weeks later, the promises made towards fixing NHS dentistry appear to have been dropped," read a statement from Toothless in England.

"As more and more dental practices turn away from providing NHS dental treatment due to long-standing issues around the NHS contract and lack of funding, we are seeing the negative impact this is having on families, men, women, and children.

"It is often so severe that some are taking matters into their own hands. Stories of DIY dentistry are commonplace and on the rise."