CDS Week: Standing up for CDS dentists and the future of community dentistry

Written by: Eddie Crouch Chair of the BDA

Dentists are critical to the health of the nation. As BDA Chair, I am proud that we stand up for dentists, so they can deliver the very best care for their patients.

This week we have been standing up for CDS dentists who provide a highly skilled and tailored form of dentistry treatment for their patients.

They make up a crucial part of the wider dental workforce within England, delivering care for some of the most vulnerable patients in our society - people that for one reason or another cannot access conventional high street services.

Although CDS week has allowed us to recognise their incredible skills it has also allowed us to highlight that the nation's ability to deliver dental treatment for some of the most vulnerable groups in our society is at risk.

This is why we have published our summary vision for the CDS in England - a call to action from English community dentists themselves on how to end a crisis that has gone under the radar of decision makers for far too long. We have set out the immediate and long-term actions which all parties involved with community dentistry must deliver, covering areas such as waiting list transparency, commissioning, workload, and pay and conditions.

I would encourage everyone, including colleagues working within the wider dental profession, to visit our CDS Week hub and learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing community dentists.

Finally, I'd also encourage you to support our work to secure the future of the CDS by sharing our #CDSVision for England with your network. After all, together we are stronger.