A CANCER patient, whose early diagnosis was thanks to a routine dental check-up, has emphasised the need for accessible NHS dentistry.

Jonathon Carr-Brown, 57, visited Bournemouth Dental Centre in May for a routine check-up when a lump was discovered in his neck.

He said: "Ever since he's been treating me, my dentist has always felt around my mouth and neck and in May, he said he found a lump that wasn't there last time.

"So, he referred me to a specialist at Poole Hospital because he was suspicious of it being cancerous."

A month later, Jonathon attended a hospital appointment, and it was confirmed via a biopsy that he had stage four follicular lymphoma.

Jonathon said: "The cancer had spread to four different places, however, because it was caught early no other lumps had properly formed."

He is undergoing a more localised form of chemotherapy called immunotherapy and said medical professionals are "pretty confident that the treatment should wipe it out".

Jonathon has a background in healthcare—including establishing the NHS.UK website—and is now the director of the health analytics company Healthily, highlighting the vital role dentists play in preventative healthcare.

He said: "I think it's important that we recognise that health professionals can play multiple roles, and I think dentists have an enormous preventative role to play.

"The fact that we don't have enough NHS dentists is costing us enormous amounts of money. The amount of people going to A&E with dental problems due to lack of access to dental care is astronomical and should not be allowed."

Labour MP for Bournemouth East Tom Hayes highlighted the poor state of NHS dentistry in a parliamentary debate on November 12.

In June 2024, 41 per cent of the adult population of Dorset had access to NHS dental appointments in the last two years; the figure is 51 per cent for Dorset's children.

There has been a 9 per cent increase in the population served by each NHS dentist in the county between 2018 and 2023.

Mr Hayes called for more support for the training and retention of dental workers, particularly at Health Sciences University in Boscombe, and reform of the dental contract.

Tom Hayes MP said: "We must train more dental workers so that local people can see a dentist when they want to. This Government has committed to making the changes that will do that, and as Bournemouth East's MP, I will ensure that Bournemouth gets its fair share quickly.

"Working alongside the NHS, the Council, and Health Sciences University, I believe we will train more people and, as part of their training, get more routine checks and care to local people."