25 signatures reached
To: Keir Stamer, John Swinney, Eluned Morgan, Michelle O'Neill
End the Cleft Dental Care Crisis – Guarantee NHS Dentistry for People Born with a Cleft
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We are calling on the governments to end the #CleftDentalCrisis by:
- Improving Access: Guarantee lifelong NHS dental care for people born with a cleft.
- Improving Training: Ensure every dentist receives cleft training at undergraduate level and through mandated ongoing development.
- Improving Care: Strengthen multi-disciplinary working so dentistry and orthodontics are integrated in cleft treatment pathways.
- Improving Transparency: Commit to regular monitoring and reporting on dental access for priority groups, including cleft.
Dental care is not optional – for the cleft community, it is essential. It is time to act and fix the #CleftDentalCrisis.
Why is this important?
Cleft is for life – and so are the complex dental issues that often come with it. Yet people born with a cleft lip and/or palate are disproportionately unable to access the dental care they need. In some cases, they are even explicitly denied treatment because of their cleft.
Being born with a cleft significantly increases the likelihood of dental problems. Children with a cleft are around one-third more likely to have missing teeth, decay or fillings, and adults are around one-quarter more likely compared to the general population.
Despite this, CLAPA’s survey shows:
- People with a cleft are twice as likely to have issues accessing dental care.
- 42% have experienced inadequate care due to lack of training.
- 38% cannot afford treatment linked to their cleft.
- Over 7% have been explicitly denied treatment because of their cleft.
This is unacceptable.
