12m Britons have no access to NHS dentist
TWELVE million people are unable to see an NHS dentist, shocking figures reveal.
And less than a third of surgeries are now accepting new patients, British Dental Association analysis shows.
Major towns and cities such as Ipswich and Sunderland have become “dental deserts” with no access to NHS treatment.
The figures come alongside warnings of rising numbers of patients with deadly dental sepsis, growing rates of mouth cancer and many resorting to DIY dentistry.
And one campaigner has called on the Government to declare a “dental emergency”, saying it is vital someone finally “gets a grip”.
Around one in four adults now has no access to an NHS dentist, the BDA said. This is a threefold rise on 2019.
Analysis, based on NHS England data, shows Ipswich, Lincoln, Sunderland, Dorchester, Norwich, Bristol, Gloucester, Truro, Bath and Plymouth are among the worst places to find an NHS dentist.
Among these, Ipswich, Lincoln, Sunderland and Dorchester have just one dental surgery accepting children under 17 for NHS treatment. In Truro, only two surgeries are accepting children on the NHS, while in Norwich and Gloucester, four surgeries are accepting them. Bath, Bristol and Plymouth have five, six and seven surgeries still accepting children respectively. The data, based on the NHS Find a Dentist service and carried out by quit smoking company Gosmokefree, found that across England there are just 0.86 dentists accepting new NHS patients per 100,000 people.
Experts blame the inability to get access for a rise in potentially lethal dental infections.
They say the lack of care is linked to a 46 per cent rise in mouth cancer cases – 3,000 people died of the disease in 2021, up 46 per cent from 2,075 a decade ago.
Meanwhile, one in five now resort to DIY methods such as pulling out teeth with pliers – which can damage surrounding teeth – or using repair kits to replace lost fillings, loose caps, crowns and inlays.
Last year, 47,581 extractions were carried out on under-19s – a 19 per cent increase on 2022, according to figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
Mark Jones, from campaign group Toothless England, who is set to meet health minister Andrea Leadsom, said: “We are calling on the Government to declare a dental emergency. How many more deaths from mouth cancer and dental sepsis must we read about? How many thousands more children must be admitted to hospital with severe, painful tooth decay? How many more NHS practices will we see closing down?
“This crisis is going to get worse – and someone in government needs to get a grip.”
Tom Thayer, a leading dental consultant and honorary lecturer in oral surgery at the Royal Liverpool University Dental Hospital, said in a recent blog: “What I’ve seen at the chairside makes me weep. People who can’t get appointments are taking matters into their own hands.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Our new dental recovery plan, backed by £200million, will create an additional 2.5 million appointments over the next 12 months, including by offering cash incentives to practices to take on NHS patients, and golden hellos of up to £20,000 to encourage dentists to work in under-served areas.
“We have worked closely with the British Dental Association and have seen improvements, with 1.7 million more adults and 800,000 more children seeing a dentist last year compared to 2022.”