Co-leader Adrian Ramsay has published Verdant's plan to restore NHS dentistry, describing the current state of dental access as "a public health emergency that nobody is talking about enough."
The five-year plan includes: an immediate £500m emergency fund to reopen NHS dental surgeries; 5,000 new dental training places over five years; a "dental premium" for practices in underserved areas; and a renewed NHS contract that pays dentists for prevention, not procedures.
"One in four adults has not seen a dentist in the last two years," Ramsay said. "That is not a lifestyle choice. It is a failing system that has been systematically underfunded for a decade."
The British Dental Association called the plan "the most comprehensive proposal from any party in a decade." The government has not responded.
