One in 10 dentists pull out of their NHS work

MORE than 2,000 dentists have stopped working for the NHS over two years, leaving growing numbers of patients reliant on private dentistry, experts have warned.

Estimates suggest around 10pc of dentists have stopped working for the NHS, leaving widespread shortages, particularly in rural and coastal communities.

It follows warnings of waits of up to three years for appointments, with patients being told to instead go private, and some resorting to “DIY dentistry”.

The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) called for reforms to contracts for dentists to stem the exodus.

The number of dentists in England fell by 951 in 202122, and figures due next week will show more than 2,000 lost in two years.

The total in England is down from 24,684 in 2019-20 to around 22,000.

The ADG said the crisis was being exacerbated by the failure to agree new rules to keep dentists who trained overseas working in Britain.

Neil Carmichael, of the ADG, said: “For every fulltime dentist who leaves the NHS we estimate that 2,000 patients could lose access to NHS care.”