NHS dentistry crisis shameful - Lamb

10.29.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 10th Apr 2009

Commenting on today’s report from the British Dental Journal which reveals a sharp rise in the number of dental hospital admissions for children, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: “Ministers have allowed NHS dentistry to become completely dysfunctional. Many of these problems could be due to the appalling lack of access."

"These statistics also point to the Government's abject failure on preventative healthcare. The message is simply not getting across and the number of health visitors is continuing to decline.

"It is absolutely shocking that in this day and age more and more children are having their teeth taken out. The fact that this is hitting children from deprived areas hardest is yet more evidence of the growing health inequalities that Labour has presided over.

"The crisis in NHS dentistry will be one of this Government's most shameful legacies."