'Dental bus' scheme is considered so more people in Portsmouth and Hampshire can see a dentist

Plans are at an early stage but a similar scheme provided services across Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire in 2012 and 2013.

That mobile service began its journey in Portsmouth and the city has again been identified as a priority area.

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The initiative is mentioned in an update report due to be discussed by Portsmouth’s health scrutiny committee next week.

‘We are currently developing and mobilising more innovative and flexible commissioning solutions to improve access, including testing of the dental bus, and oral health strategy development,’ the report by Health and Care Portsmouth says.

Access to dentistry is the responsibility of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board’s pharmacy, optometry and dentistry department.

It has identified the issue, which is particularly acute in the Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Havant and Gosport areas, as a ‘priority initiative’ aimed at making access more equal across the county.

A spokesman said they had no extra information about plans for the dental bus.

Portsmouth has seen a sharp decline in the number of NHS dentists operating in the city and has fallen below the national average.

The county was awarded 176,000 units of dental activity (UDA) at the end of last year, more than 100,000 of which will go to Portsmouth in a bid to reverse the trend in the city. This is the equivalent of 15 new NHS dentists.

UDAs represent the value of each treatment provided by a dentist through the NHS and a single visit can range in value from one to 12 of these units.

Procurement of new contracts for the Isle of Wight is also ‘under way,’ according to the report.

A Hampshire dentistry meeting, attended by representatives of 11 dental practices and NHS officials, was also held last week in a bid to draw up further ideas to improve access.