Half haven’t seen a dentist in two years

LESS than half of adults saw an NHS dentist in the past two years, figures show.

Some 49.7 per cent of adults did see a NHS dentist in the two years to the end of February, while 59 per cent of children were seen in the year to February, NHS Digital figures showed.

Visits plummeted after lockdown began in March. Some 21million adults were treated in England in the two years to the end of June, down 876,000 compared with the two years to end of February. For children, the number was down 758,000 in the year to June compared with the year to February.

Dave Cottam, of the British Dental Association, said access was ‘in a bad place’ before March and has since ‘fallen off a cliff’. He added: ‘We need Government to work with us to rebuild capacity.’