The 'Toothless in Suffolk' campaign is showing early signs of success with councils beginning to recognise the public are facing huge difficulties in accessing NHS dentistry in Felixstowe and other areas in the county.

The grass roots pressure group was formed in May this year because of a lack of local NHS dental care seen across the whole of the county. Street stalls, in Felixstowe, online webinars, an active Facebook group, and a well-attended march and rally held in Bury St Edmunds last weekend has attracted support for the campaign from all corners of England, not just in Suffolk.

Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), travelled from his home in Birmingham specially to join in the Bury St Edmunds march and speak at the rally.

Such is the positive impact the campaign is having, David Barter, the head of commissioning for NHS East of England, agreed to meet with them to hear their pleas to improve dental services. He is scheduled to meet with them again in early November.

Now it seems that local councils are reacting to the pressure being brought about by 'Toothless in Suffolk' and their supporters.

East Suffolk Council's scrutiny committee is meeting this Thursday to review NHS dental provision in East Suffolk. Evidence will be heard from representatives of various dental health organisations including the BDA, as well as the Member of Parliament for Waveney, Peter Aldous.

Suffolk County Council is also going to look into the lack of NHS dental provision available in Suffolk sometime in the new year.

Toothless in Suffolk's campaign co-ordinator, Mark Jones, said of the meeting, "The campaign is making it very difficult for local authorities and government to continue to ignore the dental crisis that's affecting Suffolk and every other county in England.

"The stories ordinary members of the public have bravely shared on our Facebook group are truly disturbing – something straight out of a Dickensian novel. People are having to pull their own teeth out just because they cannot access NHS dental care. Children haven't seen a dentist in years because practices are refusing to accept them.

"We're pleased that East Suffolk Council has finally woken up to what amounts to a third world problem happening right in their back yard. It's what they do after they've heard all the evidence presented to them that will be the real test. The same goes for Suffolk County Council as I understand that the two safeguarding boards, Children and Families, and Adults, have also requested a report into the dental crisis from Healthwatch Suffolk.

"But it shouldn't have been allowed to reach this point. It's been known for well over a decade that the current NHS dental contract is not fit for purpose. The contract emphasises activity over prevention, so much so that it has turned NHS provision into a numbers game. But intransigence from successive governments and NHS commissioning teams has led us to this point.

"Councils can and must do more by engaging with dental charities who can deliver emergency treatment, as well as bringing pressure to bear on the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, to bring dentistry into the twenty-first century and provide an NHS dentist for everyone."

A series of public meetings organised by 'Toothless in Suffolk' begins on Wednesday, 27 October 7pm at the Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe and 10th November at the Leiston Community Centre.