The North East has a number of "dental deserts" and key building blocks of oral health "do not currently exist" warn top health leaders in the region.
The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) took on responsibility for commissioning dental care in April - and a new report highlights how we face "quite a significant risk" to public health in terms of access to dentistry services here. The ICB bosses are to urgently review dental care in the region - and report back no later than October this year.
Issues identified already include the favouring of private practice and ongoing recruitment problems. The review will consider recommendations around ensuring the fluoridation of water supplies, potential public awareness campaigns, international best practice, and ways to "tackle outdated contracting arrangements". It will also investigate the particularly acute issues seen in rural areas - with North Northumberland being one area to see long-term issues with the provision of dentistry.
Now in the report presented by the ICB chief executive Samantha Allen last week, the issue has been laid bare. The report highlights: "The fundamental building blocks that underpin excellent oral health and care do not currently exist, or are not immediately apparent.
"There is some work that has been undertaken by [NHS England] public health colleagues, local authorities, the NHSE dental commissioning team and others, all of which needs bringing together to provide a clear and cohesive view of the current state to enable targeted planning and commissioning to meet the oral health needs of people in North East and North Cumbria."
The report also explains how the region "is not immune" to the issues seen across the country - adding: "The North East and North Cumbria is not immune to this void and across our region, we have a number of 'dental deserts' created as a result of an old contracting model which is not fit for purpose, market conditions that create an environment that favours private practice and a workforce model which is outdated with ongoing recruitment issues."
The health bosses says the lack of a comprehensive oral health strategy meant the region risked missing opportunities to be proactive when it comes to encouraging could dental health and preventing issues before they arise."
In the meeting last week, Samantha Allen said: "it's really important that we understand both the magnitude of the challenges that we're facing, so that we can put in place what I think will be a medium to long term recovery plan.
"Having said that, so very early conversations with NHS dentists across our system, we think there could be some early steps we can take." She said this might include work helping make schoolchildren aware of the dental care opportunities available.
However she added: "This is nonetheless probably quite a significant risk we're facing both in the early availability of dentistry and ensuring that we can make the best available for the population."
In March, a senior NHS England figure told a Northumberland County Council how financial incentives to encourage dentists to work in the Berwick area were being considered. Now, with the ICB in charge of services, the new review will look to address issues which are also being faced more widely across the UK.
The Healthwatch Northumberland watchdog group was also among 29 Healthwatch organisations to contribute to a submission to the House of Commons Health Select Committee's review of this issue earlier this year.
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