THE Island’s dentists have been gnashing their teeth this week after the damning conclusions of the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny panel.

Unfortunately, most of us, at some time or another, will either have experienced the reality of the report’s claims or know of someone who has.

Returning to the Island in the early 1990s after some years away, I recall with horror the first time I took my children to a Jersey dentist. Unable to find out what procedures were in place, and accustomed to the UK system which treats children free of charge, I booked an appointment with a practice listed in the Yellow Pages and promptly received a bill for £40, which in those days was quite a lot more than it’s worth today.

Over time, and with the help of information distributed by the school office, it became apparent that there was, in fact, a (at the time) new system for school-age children to obtain check-ups and treatment at lower cost. But whereas in the UK children’s teeth were checked during school hours by a visiting school dentist, in Jersey such safeguards have long since eroded away.

Sadly, it appears that 18 years have passed since the Dental Fitness Scheme was last reviewed.

And surely, as the Scrutiny panel suggests, this will prove a false economy in the longer term because like it or not, dental health is part and parcel of our overall health and well-being.

As for those over the age of 18, it is now extremely wise to have some kind of private insurance scheme in place – otherwise, as the panel suggests, the pain of the bill may be greater than the pain in your teeth.

Which is why, I suspect, a number of Islanders either put off going to the dentist until it is impossible to continue a normal life, or end up losing their teeth and are unable to afford further treatment.

Jersey dentists, with some evidence in their favour, may well argue that the UK system has fallen on hard times and that many UK citizens now have to pay privately because NHS dentists are few and far between. They also argue that the cost of maintaining a surgery is high and that the charges are bound to reflect this.

What has emerged from the Scrutiny panel’s investigation, however, is that there is, according to the chairman, scope within the Island’s Health Insurance provision to provide help with dental costs. But until now – and I’d love to know why – nothing has been done to use this provision.

Moreover, the situation in Jersey is quite possibly worse than in other communities because the Island’s government has chosen not to include fluoride in the public water supply (although this has been debated in the States over many years).

There is also the suspicion that the Jersey Dental Association is very much a self-regulating regulator, leaving any disgruntled members of the public with the option of complaining to the General Dental Council in the UK. But given that Jersey is not governed by the UK for medical matters (they won’t even provide us with medical care when we are visiting), I have to wonder just how relevant this proves to be in practice.

So is this yet another example where Jersey has for too long lagged behind most other civilised societies, despite hours of debate among politicians who are supposed to be acting on behalf of
Island residents?