Report suggests ethnic minority patients less likely to get NHS dental appointment
New government research suggests that patients of an ethnic minority are less likely to get an NHS dental appointment when they want one, with a similar situation for young people.
In a wide-reaching survey of 425,000 people, participants were asked about their experiences in seeking treatment in the past two years. Around 94% of white people stated that they had been successful in gaining an appointment, contrasting with only 89% of patients with dual heritage securing a dental visit, and even lower ratings for Asians, black people, and ‘other ethnic groups’, scoring 87%, 87% and 80% respectively.
The report also found that older people were more likely to get an appointment than young people, particularly pensioners. Of the under-35s trying to get in at the dentist, there was a 90% success rate, while 65-74 year olds had a 97% score, and over-75s 95%.
A final observation suggested that patients were more likely to get an appointment at a practice they had visited previously than at a different surgery (97% compared to 76%).
NHS England declined to comment on why certain patients seemed less likely to be given an appointment, only stating that it had ‘not carried out central research’, and that the teams in each area used ‘local knowledge to understand why certain groups do not access care in their area and to commission services accordingly’.
The poll, carried out between July and September of 2014, suggested that overall most patients were satisfied with their dental surgeries, 84% ranking their experience of NHS dentistry as positive, a response of ‘very good’ from 48% and ‘fairly good’ from 36%. 93% were successful in securing an appointment, rising to 95% when ‘can’t remember’ answers are omitted.
However, only 61% of respondents had actually attempted to get an NHS dental appointment within the last two years, meaning nearly two in five did not visit for a check-up. Of those that did not book an NHS appointment, 38% stated that it was because they had used a private dentist, while 21% believed they did not need to visit the dentist, and 13% had feared not being able to get an appointment.
