THERE are fears rising dental charges could lead to poorer standards of oral health in Bradford.

From tomorrow, charges for a basic check-up will rise to £21.60 and charges for items like crowns or dentures to £256.50.

Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, who recently mentioned the Telegraph & Argus's Stop the Rot campaign in Parliament, has slammed the increase.

She said: “Too many people here in Bradford cannot get to see an NHS dentist in the first place - rising prices for even the most basic treatment is not going to solve the crisis in NHS dentistry. Emergency dental work already costs the NHS millions.

“The statistics tell us that patients delay treatment due to costs involved.

"Fewer adults going to the dentist means fewer children going to the dentist - and that means poorer standards of oral health in Bradford and more children facing lives blighted by bad teeth."

On a national level, the British Dental Association (BDA), which has described the campaign as "vital", says recent academic studies show 600,000 patients with toothache, more than 11,000 per week, are going to see their GPs who are not subject to charges but are unequipped to provide dental treatment.

The BDA estimates these appointments cost the NHS more than £26 million per year.

It also says that around 135,000 patients per year are attending A&E with dental problems.

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, the BDA's Chair of General Dental Practice, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said: "These unprecedented charge hikes are self-defeating, and simply discourage the patients who need us most from seeing an NHS dentist.

"Cost is a huge barrier to many patients on moderate incomes.

"The result is patients bottling up problems and requiring more extensive treatment, which hurts their health and costs the NHS millions.

"We are health professionals, not tax collectors.

"These hikes don't go to us or towards improving the services our patients receive, they simply provide cover for cuts in state contributions.

"Prevention works in dentistry, but we can't deliver that focus when Government keeps choosing quick savings over sustainable investment."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said “Dental charges remain an important contribution to the overall cost of dental services and this increase will ensure there is no shortfall in the costs paid by service users and those met by the NHS through patient contributions.

“We consistently strive for good patient access. Access to dental services continues to increase, 22.1 million adults were seen by a dentist in the 24 months ending December 31, 2017 and almost 7 million children were seen by a dentist in the 12 months ending December 31, 2017."

The BDA is calling for a dental contract which puts prevention first and says the current dental contract, which remunerates dentists purely on activity, is "not fit for purpose".

It's an issue Mrs Cummins has raised in the House of Commons and has said Government "must stop tinkering at the edges" and bring about a new dental contract which incentivises prevention.

In a recent debate she asked what steps are being taken by Government to ensure prevention is a key element in any new dental contract.

Steve Brine, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care, whose brief includes health protection and improvement, replied saying 75 dental practices are currently testing the preventative focus clinical approach, alongside the new remuneration system. He acknowledged it was "taking time" but wanted to get it right.