MP: We will fix NHS dentist ‘crisis’

AROUND 1,250 people were forced to attend A&E at local hospitals last year due to dental decay, as patients find it impossible to get an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need one, according to figures released by the Labour party.

Rochdale MP, Tony Lloyd, said: “I am regularly contacted by people in Rochdale who tell me how difficult it is to access an NHS dentist.

“Patients are being forced into A&E with tooth decay as they have nowhere else to turn.

“Labour will rescue NHS dentistry from this crisis, so people can get an appointment when they need one, providing 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need and recruit more dentists to areas with the worst shortages.”

Local hospitals serviced by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust saw 1,015 patients in A&E with a dental abscess in 2022/23, caused by tooth decay, and 235 with dental caries. Across the country last year, 67,000 patients attended emergency departments with tooth decay.

He added: “The number of patients attending A&E with dental decay speaks to the alarming decline of NHS dentistry. Labour’s analysis of patient survey data suggests that 4.75 million people across England were denied an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years. Figures show millions of people were either told no appointments were available or that the practice they contacted was not taking on new patients. The inability for patients to access dental healthcare has forced many into A&E departments when their conditions have worsened. Currently, tooth decay is the most common reason for children aged six to 10 to be admitted to hospital. A Labour government has pledged to provide an extra 700,000 urgent dentists appointments and reform the NHS dental contract, as part of a package of measures to rescue NHS dentistry.”

Labour’s plans to restore NHS dentistry include:

● Funding NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments, for patients in need of things like fillings and root canal.

● Incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, to tackle the emergence of ‘dental deserts.’