Lib Dems call for VAT on kids’ toothpaste and toothbrushes to be scrapped as 1,400 children go to A&E with tooth decay last year

27 Jun 2024

EMBARGO: 22.30 Thursday 27th June

Liberal Democrats announce plans to scrap VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste amidst dentistry crisis
1,400 children went to A&E with tooth decay issues last year
Leader Ed Davey says Conservative neglect has pushed NHS dentistry to “brink of collapse”

The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to scrap VAT on children’s toothpaste and toothbrushes as the party reveals 1,400 children have been to A&E with tooth decay issues in the last year.

The party said the change could be brought in immediately as part of an emergency Health and Care Budget within four weeks of the General Election, which would set out measures to rescue local health and social care services.

Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats have revealed that a staggering 1,400 children have been to A&E with tooth decay issues in the past year. For all patients, close to 8,000 went to A&E last year due to tooth decay.

Recent data revealed that 4.5 million children in England didn’t see a NHS dentist last year. Leader Ed Davey criticised the Conservatives’ record on NHS dentistry, which has seen thousands of people unable to access dental services and showing up at A&E with issues relating to tooth decay.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a package worth £30m a year by the end of the Parliament to scrap VAT on children’s toothpaste and toothbrushes, cutting costs for families.

This funding comes in addition to the £750m-a-year package already announced by the party to guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care, ending DIY dentistry and ‘dental deserts’.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“It is appalling that so many children are ending up in hospital with rotting teeth because they can't get the dental care they need.

“Years of Conservative underfunding and neglect have pushed NHS dentistry to the brink of collapse.

“The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious plan to tackle this crisis and make sure all families can access NHS dental care when they need it.

“We would scrap VAT on children’s toothpaste and toothbrushes while guaranteeing NHS dentist appointments for children and new mothers.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent reforms to the dental contract to deliver more NHS dentist appointments and free check-ups for children. The party’s plan, backed by funding of £750m a year by the end of the Parliament, would guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care by:

Bringing dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by fixing the broken NHS dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs.
Introducing an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups for those already eligible: children, new mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes.
Providing supervised toothbrushing training for children in nurseries and schools.

FOI data here.

NHS Trusts were asked the following questions for under 18s and for all adults:

The number of people who were treated at your Trust’s A&E departments after presenting with issues related to tooth decay.
The number of patients referred for treatment at your Trust by a dentist.

Previous Liberal Democrat commissioned research by the House of Commons Library on the number of children not seen by a dentist in the past year can be found here.