Around 44% of children visited a dentist in the past year in England, a survey has found, amid warnings that some parts of the country have become “dental deserts”.
Figures commissioned by the Lib Dems showed there are as many as 3,000 people per NHS dentist in some English areas.
Commons Library research carried out by the party also found that only a third of adults have visited an NHS dentist in the last two years.
Of the 104 local areas in England, 65 have seen the number of people per dentist increase since 2019, the figures show.
North Lincolnshire, from 2021/2022, had the highest ratio of people to dentists – with one NHS professional for every 3,199 people.
This was higher than the national average of 2,330 people per NHS dentist in England.
Meanwhile, Bolton has seen the sharpest increase in the ratio, with the number of people per dentist increasing by 35% since 2019 to one in 2,044.
Other areas with sharp population growth per dentist include Ipswich and East Suffolk (26%), West Suffolk (19%) and Barnsley (13%).
DIY dentistry
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to warn on Wednesday that the dental crisis is driving desperate people to resort to so-called DIY dentistry.
A poll by his party last year revealed that a fifth of people who couldn’t get an appointment with their NHS dentist tried to make it themselves.
In the Savanta ComRes survey of 2,234 UK adults carried out in August, 21% said they had tried to carry out work themselves or had someone else who was not a dentist help them.
Another 26% delayed seeing a dentist despite the pain, while more than a quarter paid for private treatment.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said its own figures show hundreds of dentists carry out the equivalent of just one NHS check a year.
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Appeal for the abolition of VAT on children’s toothbrushes
Sir Ed, who is stepping up his campaign ahead of next month’s local elections, wants reforms to the NHS dental contract and is pushing for extra funding for mobile dental units to visit schools, community centers and care homes.
His party is calling for an NHS dental healthcare plan to ensure every person can access affordable dental care.
The proposals include spending what the party says is £400m of unspent NHS dental funding this year in order to increase the number of appointments.
It also calls for the abolition of VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpastes.
“The astonishing rise in dental deserts has left far too many people struggling to get an appointment with their NHS dentist,” said Sir Ed.
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“It’s heartbreaking that people are left waiting in pain for months or even years for the dental care they need.”
He added: “This Conservative government has been asleep at the wheel for years and has allowed this dental crisis to get worse and worse.
“We need to see action now to make sure everyone can see a dentist on the NHS when they need one.”
The Labor Party has been contacted for comment.
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The Prime Minister says he has signed up with an NHS dentist and doctor
“We know there is more to do”
The Department of Health and Social Care said ministers are preparing to announce further measures to “improve” access to NHS dental procedures.
A spokesman said: “We are working to improve access to NHS dental care by investing more than £3 billion a year.
“We have reformed the NHS dental contract to encourage more dentists to provide NHS treatments and allow dentists and hygienists to offer extra services, and increased the amount practices receive for high-need patients.
“There were over 500 more dentists providing NHS care in 2022 than in 2021, but we know we need to do more and will soon announce further measures to improve access across the country.”
