Ukrainian family who fled to UK after Putin's invasion move BACK to the war torn country because they were unable to find an NHS dentist for orthodontic work

A Ukrainian family who had fled to the UK after Putin's invasion have moved back to the war-torn country because they struggled to find an NHS orthodontic dentist to fit braces. 

Nataliia Zavalniuk, 39, and daughter Viktoriia, 14, were given refuge by a host in Bosham, West Sussex, after Putin unleashed scenes of horror when he ordered his armies to invade Ukraine two years ago in the brutal invasion.

The family returned to Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, on April 16 2023, exactly a year since they arrived to the UK, where Viktoriia promptly received the dental care she needed, and had her braced fitted 'within a few days'. 

In a shocking revelation, the Economist Impact's Health Inclusivity Index found that 67 per cent of Ukrainians were able to see a dentist within 24 hours in the nation that has been ravaged by war, compared with just 23 per cent of people in the UK.

This comes as Brits have been forced to queue from 4am to gain a spot at dentistry practices that have opened up their list to NHS patients in scenes described as being 'reminiscent of Soviet-era Eastern Europe'.

Viktoriia, 14, returned to Ukraine with her mother, where she promptly received the dental care she needed and had her braced fitted 'within a few days'

Some have even resorted to DIY dentistry, using pliers to remove rotting or painful teeth at home.

Ms Zavalniuk, a supply manager, told The Times that her experience of living in the UK was 'very poor' after struggling to get an NHS dentist appointment, with the alternative of private treatment being too expensive. 

In a damning testimony to the tattered state of the NHS, Ms Zavalniuk said that despite the war, it was 'very easy' to get access to dental treatment in Ukraine.

Getting braces fitted in Ukraine costs around £300, while each appointment will cost the equivalent of £10, according to Ms Zavalniuk.

She said that they were 'lucky' that Viktoriia's dental needs were not more urgent.

Speaking to The Times, Dr Louise Baverstock, who took the family into her home in Bosham, said she hosted the desperate Ukrainian refugees because she was 'so proud of being British'.

She added: 'After six months they moved into a flat and literally everything was perfect … but they couldn't get dentist.

The GP said that Viktoriia 'clearly needed' orthodontic treatment but was not optimistic about the the teenager's access to dental care in the UK, due to the 

In a damning testimony to the tattered state of the NHS, Ms Zavalniuk said that despite the war, it was 'very easy' to get access to dental treatment in Ukraine

Dr Baverstock said that other contributing factors to their return included being homesick as well as Viktoriia needing orthodontic treatment. 

She added: 'They literally went back to Ukraine, a country of war, to get dentist treatment'. 

The GP, who is regularly faced with 'vulnerable' patients in need of urgent care at her pratice but unable to access it, blamed austerity measures for the woeful state of the NHS.

Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, told The Times: 'It speaks volumes that refugees are heading back to the front line for care that has effectively ceased to exist for millions across this country. The government's cack-handed policies have failed Ukrainian guests and natives alike.'

Earlier this month, police broke up a snaking queue that formed outside a newly-opened NHS dental practice in Bristol. 

Officers implemented a cutoff point part-way through the queue, telling those behind they would need to return and try their luck again another day.

Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association's (BDA) General Dental Practice Committee, told the BBC's Today Programme: 'I've got great sympathies for people in the [Bristol] queue.

'I never thought I'd see the police having to break up crowds of people trying to access dental care.

'But we've seen UK patients heading to Ukraine to access dental care, we've seen people taking matters into their own hands with pliers and DIY dentistry.

'But what we've got is a Health Secretary — she likes to say she's making the NHS faster, simpler and fairer. But there is a real risk that not a word of this will apply to dentistry.'

A Labour ad, headlined 'Dentistry Isn't Working', shows snaking queues of would-be patients pictured waiting to register with a newly-opened NHS dental practice in Bristol

Saatchi & Saatchi designed the famous poster for the Tory Party ahead of the 1979 general election, which saw Margaret Thatcher run against Labour prime minister James Callaghan

Addressing the Commons three weeks ago, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said there had been reports of 'Ukrainian refugees booking dentist appointments back home and returning for treatment because it is easier to fly to a war-torn country than it is to see an NHS dentist in England'.

NHS dentistry has been in crisis for years, with leaders claiming the sector has been chronically underfunded, making it financially unviable to carry out treatments.

Earlier this month, the government announced its long-awaited NHS dental recovery plan, but it was met with criticism from  by health experts and MPs who warned it won't work.

Under Rishi Sunak’s bold blueprint to fix the appointments crisis plaguing millions, dentists are to be offered cash incentives and 'golden hellos' to take on new patients and work in 'under-served' communities with a lack of NHS dental services

Exacerbating the problem is that, as more dentists leave the NHS, those that remain become swamped by more and more patients.

Hundreds of people were pictured queuing up outside a newly-opened NHS dental practice in Bristol

Local media compared the snaking queue as being 'reminiscent of Soviet-era Eastern Europe'

The line was closed at around 2.15pm, about six hours after it opened and hundreds of prospective patients lined up

An official survey recently revealed a quarter of adults have delayed dental care or treatment because of the cost.

One in three also said the cost of dentistry has affected the type of care or treatment they go on to have, while a quarter fail to brush their teeth at least twice a day.

A damning report by the Nuffield Trust warned that NHS dentistry has 'gone for good' and must be rationed for those most in need.

Even children are struggling to the dental care they need.

Only a limited number of people are entitled to free NHS dental care. These include children, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on low incomes.

Even those who pay for NHS dentistry face substantially cheaper fees for treatment and care because it is subsidised by the Government.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'We want every adult and child in England who needs an NHS dentist to get one regardless of where they live and through our new Dental Recovery Plan which will create an additional 2.5 million dental appointments – we are taking steps to improve access and incentivise practices to deliver more NHS dental care.

'We invest £3 billion each year to deliver NHS dentistry and access is improving – last year 1.7 million more adults and some 800,000 more children saw an NHS dentist – and we have also announced plans to increase dental training places by 40%.'