Shiv Pabary MBE

What the evidence really says on 🇬🇧 British teeth vs the 🇺🇸 Hollywood Smile…

US 'experts' have described oral health in Britain as 'Third World'.

📈Yes, inequalities are widening.

🇺🇸But in the US working age adults are missing more teeth.

🇬🇧The UK Govt will decide whether we end up becoming an Austin Powers cliché.

Our letter to the editor of @thetimes.com

It's either callousness or incompetence.

Welsh Govt will be giving dentists the weekend to review the small print of a new contract.

Patients will pay the price for the snap decisions they’ve forced on this profession. https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/wales-callousness-or-incompetence/

Government say cancer survival shouldn't be a postcode lottery.

But as long as access to NHS dentistry remains a game of chance that's exactly where we'll be with oral cancers.

https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/oral-cancer-is-the-missing-piece-in-the-government-s-plan/

A real privilege to take Tony and his family to Westminster.

All too often dentistry has been treated as Cinderella service, a low priority that can’t compete with ‘life and death’ issues.

Oral cancer demonstrates how high the stakes can be and that this profession can be life savers.

"The decline of NHS dentistry is not inevitable," says Alex Easton MP.

NHS dentistry shouldn't be an optional extra.

But saving it will require urgent reform wedded to sustainable funding.

"It's a stupid system," says @eddiecrouch.bsky.social

An inflexible contract means that if a practice has capacity - while others in the area are actually reducing NHS work - that funding can't be kept on the frontline. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7z7x0w95go

"Create a caricature of an NHS dentist based on everything you know about the role..."

Undervalued.

Overstretched.

We've spelled out to the facts time and again.

Government needs to show it's ready to act on them.

Thanks to Minister for Care @skinnock.bsky.social and Chief Dental Officer for England Jason Wong for attending our Q&A session on NHS #dentistry in Parliament today.

The packed room shows the strength of feeling in Parliament on this crucial issue.

"We see a lot of children here that can't see a regular dentist that are turning up with abscesses & infections," says Shiv Pabary

Urgent care is vital. But a govt that says the NHS must shift from sickness to prevention must not forget routine care. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qp2xx3e37o

“Soundbites are all well and good" says @eddiecrouch.bsky.social

"But what tens of millions of our patients need is real commitment, underpinned by sustainable investment.” https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/primary-care-bodies-unite-to-take-fight-for-financial-security-future-to-parliament/

"There's no point increasing training places for dental students if there are no NHS practices left for them to train in after graduating” warned @drlaurenharrhy.bsky.social

We can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists.

Practices need decent contracts to retain and recruit staff.

Was it the staff meeting from hell?

Today Dental Public Health staff will still be looking for answers on the abolition of NHS England.

https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/nhs-england-merger-public-health-experts-offered-euphemisms-not-clarity-over-jobs/

Govt to tie the hands of practices on urgent care.

We worked to secure a level that's tolerable.

But practices could face penalties for failure to hit targets simply because local demand does not exist.

https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/government-tie-hands-of-practices-on-urgent-care/

The abolition of NHS England has left dental public health staff flying blind.

They deserve real clarity on the future of their vital roles.

https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/dental-public-health-staff-deserve-clarity-on-vital-roles/

The Government says it will extend free NHS dental care to young people leaving the care system until their 25th birthday.

This policy makes perfect sense.

If you could get an appointment…

A thread [1]

Keeping our communities safe from racism.

A joint statement on anti-migrant rhetoric from us and our friends @bma.org.uk, @rcn.org.uk, @thecsp.bsky.social @unitetheunion.bsky.social @unison.org.uk @hcsa-com.bsky.social

Over 75,000 people have now backed our call for fair funding for NHS dentistry.

For a generation choices made at the Treasury and the Department of Health have left millions with no options.

Our patients deserve better.

Join us: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/fund-nhs-dentistry-now

“NHS dentistry has ceased to exist for millions of families," says @eddiecrouch.bsky.social

"Warm words won’t solve this - only real investment and meaningful reform will.”

Sign here if you agree: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/fund-nhs-dentistry-now

Catching up with @jon4highpeak.bsky.social MP this afternoon at #LPC25

His High Peak constituency has lost many NHS dentists over the last 10 years.

This exodus isn’t inevitable.

We can and must stem the flow. @thebda.bsky.social

Good to catch up with @jaynekirkhammp.bsky.social .

Told access to NHS dentistry in her patch is worse than ever.

Residents are living with the results, with many now sporting missing teeth.

It’s not inevitable.

Fundamental reform, coupled with adequate funding can change this.

Great to meet @linseyfarnsworthmp.bsky.social at #LPC25

Her Amber Valley constituency is one of Derbyshire’s worst dental desserts.

We’re committed to work together to secure a sustainable future for NHS dentistry in the region and nationwide.

Great to meet with @steveyemm-mp.bsky.social at #LPC25

Steve told us how access to NHS dental care remains a top issue among his constituents.

We have commitments on contract reform in this parliament. We discussed the funding needed to restore care to millions. @thebda.bsky.social

Poor oral health is linked to a "lifetime of problems".

Couldn’t agree more with Josh Fenton-Glynn MP’s analysis yesterday morning at a session tackling dentistry and the government’s wider commitment to prevention. @thebda.bsky.social @joshfg.bsky.social

Over 50,000 have already joined our call to properly fund this service.

For a generation NHS dentistry has seen savage cuts

Restoring care to millions is impossible without real investment.

Sign here👉 https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/fund-nhs-dentistry-now

Ministers have said NHS dentistry is at death’s door.

That the horror stories we keep seeing are Dickensian.

It’s all true.

To save this service, we need them to put their money where their mouth is.

Sign our call for fair funding.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/fund-nhs-dentistry-now

“Supervised brushing is a tried-and-tested policy that we back 100%" says @eddiecrouch.bsky.social

"But Ministers must ensure the funding and reform are in place so kids can get the care they need.” https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/free-toothbrushes-schools-across-england-35905840

"These scenes won't end until government keeps its promises," says @shivparbary.bsky.social

"The hurdle is going to be the Treasury."

"Unless you put in the adequate funding that's needed to reform the service, then I'm afraid we're going to have discussions like this again."

Government are proposing a ban on sales of energy drinks to kids.

We applaud this.

Ministers say they want to shift the focus from treatment to prevention.

Sign here and tell them to go further and faster on reining in #BigFood.
👇
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/make-sugar-the-new-tobacco

“It is hard to see how services in deprived areas will be improved unless funding for NHS dentistry is increased.”

Today's Guardian editorial.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/02/the-guardian-view-on-the-dental-divide-ministers-must-brush-up-their-policy-as-well-as-childrens-teeth