OXENHOPE man John Craven who is fighting to get free dental treatment for women who have lost teeth through breast cancer treatment is urging his MP to make sure the new health secretary picks up the baton.

Last month Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore promised to pursue the call being made by Mr Craven and reassured him that he had spoken to Matt Hancock about his concerns.

Mr Craven’s close relative lost four teeth following treatment for breast cancer but the NHS has refused to pay for implants despite the cancer treatment being the cause of the loss in the first place.

Macmillan Cancer Support and Breast Cancer Now charities have also backed up Mr Craven.

Macmillan Cancer Support charity said: “The side effects of cancer treatment can have a lasting effect on people long after their treatment has finished, this can include issues with tooth loss as a result of surgery or treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

"The extent to which a person diagnosed with cancer will be affected depends on the type of cancer they have and the treatment they receive.

"In the case of breast cancer some patients will be prescribed bone strengthening medication when receiving treatment such as chemotherapy, in rare cases the medication can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw, which can contribute to tooth loss." 

Mr Craven, a retired architect and draughtsman, is calling on the government to direct NHS funding to these women, most of whom he says are suffering in silence because of embarrassment and low self-esteem.

Following Matt Hancock’s resignation as Minister for Health and Social Care on Saturday after revelations he had broken social distancing rules by kissing an aide in his ministerial office, Mr Craven is urging Mr Moore to bring the matter up again with new health secretary Sajid Javid.

The former chancellor and home secretary has been named as Mr Hancock’s successor.

“I was very furious to hear of (Mr) Hancock’s indiscretions and subsequent stepping down from health and social care as the issue about dental treatment had only recently been brought to his attention,” said Mr Craven.

He added: “I am concerned that the momentum may be lost and am urging Mr Moore to raise the issue with Mr Javid as soon as possible. The failure by the NHS to treat these vulnerable women needs to be addressed immediately. There needs to be a green paper on the subject presented to the House of Commons as soon as possible.”

Mr Craven has contacted human rights and medical negligence lawyers who agree with him that the lack of dental treatment for these women contravenes the Human Rights Act 1979, in particular Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, revised in 2001, which covers a wide range of rights including those covering medical care.

The Telegraph & Argus has asked Mr Moore for a response.