'Why is it so hard to find an NHS dentist?' BBC Radio 4 - Inside Health

'Dentistry is high on the public and political agenda. There have been dozens of headlines about access to NHS dentistry, with some people having to travel huge distances to find a dentist, or being put onto long waiting lists to get an NHS appointment.

In this episode of Inside Health, James Gallagher is joined by chairman of the British Dental Association Eddie Crouch, the Oral Health Foundation's Dr Rachael England, and consultant oral surgeon Tom Thayer. Together, they drill into the issues surrounding NHS dentistry. Along the way, they discuss possible solutions, whether contract reforms will help, and the potential future of dentistry in the UK.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Thomas Hunt
Production coordinator: Stuart Laws
Content editor: Ilan Goodman'

Source & image: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002r3nn

Latest paper re. Hodges' model:

S. Bettiol, P. Jones, H. A. Onyedikachi, and W. G. Kernohan, (2026) Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model, Journal of Public Health Dentistry. 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.70034

Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model

 ABSTRACT

Objectives

Despite decades of national and global strategies, persistent inequities in oral health outcomes, access, and service provision remain. Existing frameworks often fail to integrate clinical and behavioral factors with social, cultural, and political determinants. This study aimed to map and evaluate oral health frameworks using Hodges' Health Career—Care Domains-Model (HCM), a meta-framework that spans clinical, behavioral, sociological, and political domains. The goal was to identify conceptual gaps and opportunities for greater integration.

Methods

A structured scoping review was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EBSCO, and search engine Google Scholar (1995–2025) to identify oral health-related conceptual frameworks. Frameworks were eligible if they addressed oral health determinants, behaviors, policies, or interventions. Two reviewers independently screened records and analyzed full-text articles. Frameworks were categorized by theoretical orientation and mapped against the four HCM domains to identify patterns of emphasis or omission.

Results

Of 226 identified records, 21 frameworks met inclusion criteria. These were classified into three thematic groups: balanced (addressing all domains), clinically led (focused on clinical/behavioral aspects), and policy/public health-focused (emphasizing sociological/political factors). Seven cross cutting themes emerged, including health promotion, systems integration, social justice, and cultural safety. While many frameworks promoted equity and policy reform, few offered implementation guidance or had been empirically validated.

Conclusions

HCM proved useful for systematically comparing frameworks and revealed consistent underrepresentation of political and structural domains. It offers a practical tool for oral health professionals, educators, and policymakers developing integrated oral health models that align with equity, sustainability, and universal health coverage goals.

S. Bettiol, P. Jones, H. A. Onyedikachi, and W. G. Kernohan, “ Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model,” Journal of Public Health Dentistry (2026): 1–14, 
https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.70034

'ABCD' mapped to '1234'*

For context [UK politics and policy] please see below ...

INDIVIDUAL

|

 INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

BACKLOGS Person-centred: "Am I there yet?" Service-centred: "Are we there yet?"	AMBULANCES 'Just in TI:ME' [not] Hand-me-over-why-don't-you?
(Social) CARE	DOCTORS DENTISTS

"Sally Warren, director of policy at The King’s Fund,
said that Our Plan for Patients ‘amounts to little more
than tinkering at the edges’ despite containing some
‘sensible’ policies."     https://www.nursinginpractice.com/

Whether tinkering or not, don't forget and do take care around all the edges.
Do 'C' the low-hanging fruit.

[Just to be clear: This isn't about ✔ in boxes.
It's about integrating care, values, quality and safety. ]

https://www.nursinginpractice.com/latest-news/therese-coffeys-plan-for-social-care-only-short-term-solution/

^ and '5' the Spiritual too.

Context:

"Thérèse Anne Coffey is a British politician who has been Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since 6 September 2022." Wikipedia.

"For Coffey, 'ABCD' stands for ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists – and rightly so." The Guardian

See also: c/o The Health Foundation

What are the public’s priorities for the NHS? And is the government listening?

Webinar: ‘Global Remote and Rural Healthcare – how can we do it better?’

Following a successful online event last November Ms Jackie Aldridge got in touch, seeking speakers and attendees for a further webinar next month.

If you can suggest a speaker, present yourself, or are interested in attending please contact Jackie as per her [edited] message below.

Many thanks

Peter J.

-----------------------

Hello Mr Jones

We were so pleased that you agreed to be a speaker at our conference last November on the subject of ‘Global Remote and Rural Healthcare – how can we do it better?’.

As part of our follow up after the conference we decided it would be a good idea to try and run a short webinar a few times a year to keep this important subject under discussion. We are planning to run our first one on Tuesday 18 May.

I am hoping you may be able to help us by suggesting another contact who works in the field of remote and rural healthcare, who you think may be interested in giving a short presentation (no more than 20 minutes) about their specific field of expertise.

All I would need is their name, contact details and a short indication of what their specialism is.

I hope you can help and I look forward to hearing from you with your suggestions.

Best wishes

   Jackie 

 Jackie Aldridge

Programme Delivery Coordinator 

jackie.aldridge AT bridge2aid.org

Working part time, usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays

UK office: Bridge2Aid, The Keepers, Symn Lane, Wotton-Under-Edge, GL12 7BD

Tel: 01453 546776.   Registered Charity No: 1170578

Care with a Smile: For a Smile in Care Homes

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic --------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

Self-esteem, self-image anxiety, worry, depression Able to express needs communication Ability to ask, remind, argue - self-advocate Challenging behaviours, agitation, aggression Irritability, poor sleep reduced attention and concentration Observation of staff - pain? Loss of dentures, memory

Changes in gums, gum disease, weight loss cleaning teeth, false dentures, fit, marking dentures, care plans Access to toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash, Oral hygiene Sugar – sweets (one of few pleasures?) Risk of thrush and other infections (cardiac?) Mobility of the resident Appearance and sense of well-being Pain of toothache, analgesia – tiredness Avoiding eating and drinking properly Access to dental surgery Changes with speech Equipment challenges of remote care, technology changes Mobile clinics

Responding to expressed distress - whether explicit or implicit (listening - caring) Confidence. Isolation Avoiding other people. Having friends and family to advocate for dental care Impatience with others, argumentative, shouting Family expectations

Guidelines Commissioning of dental care in the residential / nursing home sectors Local authorities, Health, CQC Asessment - Evaluation Referral process Staff  awareness and knowledge The nursing home make the referral? The family must make the referral? Payment National standards Domiciliary visits paid in advance. Dental service packs packs circulated to residential and nursing homes across a Region. Global access to Dental care?