Lorraine faces a severe shortage of dental surgeons: 90% of its territories lack practitioners. A worrying situation for patients.
By Linda Lam, published on November 5, 2024
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According to the mapping of the Grand Est Regional Health Agency (ARS), published last September, 9 out of 10 Lorraine municipalities are facing the desertification of dental surgeons.
Severe shortage of dentists in Lorraine
After dermatologists, cardiologists and gynecologists, the east of the country is, in turn, faced with a worrying shortage of dental surgeons. For everyday Republican Eastit would now be missing “as many dentists as doctors in Lorraine».
A terrible observation which follows the publication of the new zonings for dental surgeons distributed by the ARS, and which reveals the extent of the health crisis.
For Philippe Bichet, president of the Order of Meurthe-et-Moselle, interviewed by France 3 Régions, this situation is the result of government decisions which have “wanted to reduce the number of health professionals to reduce expenses“. A position shared by Dr Matthieu Hutasse, president of the URPS Chirurgiens-dentistes Grand Est and the Federation of Liberal Trade Unions (FSDL) Champagne-Ardenne. While calling for more resources for dental faculties, he recalls that to date, “there are not enough young dentists to replace those who will claim their retirement rights».
Unequal access to dental care for patients
The new zoning reveals that installations are concentrated in “non-priority” zones, particularly in the three large cities of Metz, Épinal and Nancy.
Result: the majority of people in Lorraine are far from access to oral and dental care. In certain municipalities in Lorraine, dental surgeons no longer accept any new patients. While a study showed that the waiting time was on average eleven days to obtain an appointment with the dentist, delays in the Grand Est can extend to five months, thus discouraging patients from making appointments. cure.
