Warning as check-ups with dentists delayed

DEVON is facing a ‘dental timebomb’ as patients delay check-ups by as much as five years, while some people aren’t going to the dentist at all, a new survey has shown.

The cost of living crisis is being blamed, as well as shortages of dental services across the country.

A new interactive map shows Devon has 286 NHS dentists serving a population of 795,102 – or one NHS dentist for 2,770 residents.

Plymouth is the best served area for NHS dentists in Devon with a total of 23 practices, while Exeter has 16, Barnstaple five and Honiton three, according to the NHS find a dentist service.

The average gap between children having dental appointments in the county has widened to over a year for the first time and now stands at 15 months, according to a survey by Dental Phobia, a website set up to help the millions in the UK who fear going to the dentist. Men wait an average of five years between checkups and 45 per cent say they don’t go to the dentist at all unless they have a problem. Women wait an average of three years between check-ups and 35 per cent say they only go if they have an issue.

The cost of living crisis is seen as a key factor in patients putting off going to dentist, with fear of the bill they get at the end being greater than the fear of procedures. A shortage of NHS dentists is a second factor in patients delaying appointments with people neglecting their teeth because they cannot find cost effective treatment.

Dental Phobia set up panels throughout the UK, including in Devon, to find where patients were most likely to skip dental check-ups. It found that the gap between dental check-ups had risen by 20 per cent in Devon over the last five years.

Lots of patients in Plymouth got out of the habit of going to the dentist during the Covid crisis and they have not returned because of fears over the cost. Two-thirds of patients across Devon (67 per cent) said their biggest worry prior to an appointment is the bill they get at the end of it. This compares to the 53 per cent of patients who fear going to the dentist largely because of the pain.

Just under half of patients (46 per cent) said a shortage of NHS dentists had put them off seeking treatment because they are worried a private dentist would be too expensive.

Dentist Rhona Eskander said: “Devon is facing a dental time-bomb if patients don’t get back into the habit of seeking regular check-ups. What is most worrying is that the cost of living crisis is forcing some parents to cut corners with their children’s teeth. Regular dental appointments are easy to put off. Patients end up losing their teeth because small cavities which could be fixed inexpensively when they first develop grow quickly without treatment.

“And more serious conditions such as the early signs of oral cancer – particularly important for patients who smoke and drink regularly – are often first spotted by dentists.”

Earlier this year, a poll suggested almost a quarter of people had been unable to access care from an NHS dentist in the last year. Research, conducted on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, found that 23 per cent of people said they have tried to access NHS dental care but had been unable to get an appointment.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The number of dentists practicing in the NHS increased by over 500 last year, and we are continuing work to improve access to dental care for all NHS patients, backed by more than £3 billion annually.”