Jess Asato, MP for Lowestoft, has visited Community Dental Services CIC (CDS)’s clinic. The MP was met by Helen Paisley, Chief Executive, Glen Taylor, Chief Operating Officer for East of England and members of CDS’s local team.
During the visit, Ms Asato toured the three-surgery clinic in Lowestoft to hear about the care CDS provides for patients; learn about its oral health prevention programmes; and view some of the specialist equipment available to support patients with additional needs – such as wheelchair tipper, bariatric dental chair and The Wand.
With tooth decay remaining the leading cause for hospital admissions in England for 5 – 9-year-olds with 19,381 children admitted in 2023/24, it was an opportunity to speak about the delivery of supervised toothbrushing schemes in early years settings and primary schools including the Government’s recently introduced national Supervised Toothbrushing Programme.
The visit was also an opportunity to highlight CDS’s efforts to address the recruitment challenges in a region often described as a “dental desert”. This includes CDS’s introduction of Community Dental Fellow positions for dentists and therapists, that combine employment with postgraduate training – an approach proving attractive to young dental professionals starting their careers.
Ms Asato said: “I really enjoyed visiting CDS in Lowestoft and meeting the dedicated team who provide such vital care for some of the most vulnerable patients in our community. Good oral health starts early and helping children develop habits like brushing their teeth properly is one of the simplest and most effective ways we can improve long-term public health. Preventative programmes like supervised toothbrushing don’t just protect children from pain and infection now – they also reduce pressure on the NHS in the future. It was also encouraging to hear about the innovative work CDS is doing to tackle workforce shortages and support the next generation of dental professionals in areas like ours.”
Helen Paisley, Chief Executive of CDS, said: “Jess’s visit was important for us to demonstrate the work we do in her constituency to support patients who would otherwise be unable to access dental care and to address oral health inequalities across Lowestoft and the wider region. We have a strong focus on prevention such as delivering the government-backed Supervised Toothbrushing programme; running our own Healthy Smiles programme in schools; and training Oral Health Champions in Care Homes. It was also great to have the opportunity to raise awareness of our Community Dental Fellow’s programme that is a potential solution to some of the recruitment challenges in dentally underserved areas.”
CDS patients typically have additional needs such as learning disabilities, severe autism or children with high levels of dental disease or are in situations that traditional dental care cannot reach, for example, housebound patients and people who are homeless.
