Rotten to the core: What’s at the root of Britain’s dental crisis?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2024
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
With millions of people across the UK struggling to access NHS dental care, and many being forced to go private or even treat themselves at home, how did dentistry in Britain reach this point, how serious is the crisis, and what can be done to fix it?
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Guests:
- Dr. Paul Woodhouse from the Grange Dental Practice and,
- Rachel Sylvester, Times Columnist and Chair of the Times Health Commission.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips: ITV News, Channel 4 News, UK Parliament, AP (British Movietone).
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Tom Whipple, science editor at The Times. |
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| 0:39.2 | There are billions of pounds in UK current accounts sitting around earning little to no interest. |
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| 1:18.8 | When a dentist surgery in Bristol opened its doors for the first time last week, there were already long queues of people who've been waiting outside for hours to sign up as patients. |
| 1:27.0 | As the day went on, the queues got longer and longer, snaking around the block. |
| 1:37.0 | Within two hours of opening, the police had to be called to control the crowds, |
| 1:42.0 | and three days later the cue was still going. |
| 1:47.0 | For many, it highlighted the crisis in dentistry across the country, which is so desperate now that |
| 1:56.2 | some people have even had to resort to DIY dental care. I lost a filling from the back of one of my upper front teeth during lockdown |
... |
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