Southampton’s public health director has highlighted the preventability of a significant number of tooth extractions among local children, emphasizing the importance of dental health initiatives. Dr. Debbie Chase, speaking at the Southampton City Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel on November 11, noted that approximately 500 tooth extractions are performed annually on children in the city, most of which are carried out under general anesthesia.
Dr. Chase mentioned that there had been previous discussions about introducing fluoride to the city’s water supply as a preventive measure to improve children’s dental health. This plan, which aimed to fluoridate the water serving around 200,000 residents in Southampton and parts of south-west Hampshire, was eventually scrapped in 2014 after years of deliberation. Despite the proposal being backed by NHS leaders, both Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council opposed the initiative. Public Health England ultimately withdrew its support, citing the lack of local authority backing.
During the council panel meeting, Dr. Chase also spoke about the ongoing public health work being done in schools and early years settings to promote proper oral hygiene. She emphasized that the public health team is particularly focused on areas of Southampton that are most in need. However, she noted that due to limited resources, not every school in the city can be engaged with these programs.
The panel also received an update from James Roach, director of primary care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), who provided insight into the current state of NHS dental services in the city. While Roach acknowledged that progress had been made in improving access to dental care, he also stated that it had not been fast enough to meet the city’s needs. However, he remained optimistic that reforms to the national dental contract could help speed up improvements, especially with the support of local MPs.
In terms of NHS dental services, Roach reported that there are 24 contracts for dental services in Southampton, with a total of 463,231 units of dental activity (UDAs) scheduled for 2024/25. By September, 40% of these UDAs had already been delivered. He highlighted that access to dental care had improved, as evidenced by an increase in the number of UDAs being undertaken across the city.
Roach also provided an update on the mobile dental unit, which has delivered 12,000 treatments across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since its launch in February. The unit, operated in partnership with the dental charity Dentaid, focuses on addressing the complex and long-term dental needs of patients who require more specialized care.
Looking ahead, Roach outlined plans for further developments in NHS dental services, including a dental nurse apprenticeship program and the creation of a dental development center in Portsmouth. He described these initiatives as “game changers,” aimed at building a sustainable pipeline of trained dental professionals to meet the growing demand for services.
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