Around 12.2% (5 million) said they don’t have a dentist at all while only 52.8% (21.2 million) said they had an NHS dentist, according to analysis of the ONS Health Insight Survey
Millions of people don’t have access to a dentist with around one in eight people in England stuck without care.
Around 12.2% (5 million people) don’t have a dentist at all while just 52.8% (or 21.2 million) said they have an NHS dentist, according to the latest ONS Health Insight Survey. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats of the figures found that in December alone, 140,526 (94.1%) people – who needed treatment but did not have their own dentist – were unable to access NHS dental care.
Of these patients, more than 1,500 resorted to going to A&E but the vast majority (79.7% or 111,999) reported that they were unable to receive the treatment they needed. It comes after a Mirror investigation suggests 96% of dental practices in England are not accepting new adult patients.
The Mirror is campaigning for Dentists for All after access to NHS treatment was decimated by funding cuts and a broken payment model that has pushed some dentists into the private sector.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said the scale of the crisis was even greater, with some practices reporting waiting lists of up to 10 years for treatment. In the worst cases, some people are resorting to pulling out their own teeth.
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: “As more and more patients are forced to perform dangerous DIY dentistry, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get ministers to take the action we need.
“The crisis in NHS dentistry cannot be allowed to continue – the government must act urgently to bring dentistry back from the brink. The new Government must not repeat the mistakes of the Conservatives that created swathes of dental deserts up and down the country.”
Labour has promised to tackle the crisis in dentistry, with 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and a recruitment drive for areas that need them most. In the manifesto, the party also vowed to renegotiate the NHS dental contract, which was branded “not fit for purpose” by the Commons Health Committee.
1. Everyone should have access to an NHS dentist
More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients.
Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn’t have their recommended annual check-up last year.
2. Restore funding for dental services and recruit more NHS dentists
The UK spends the smallest proportion of its heath budget on dental care of any European nation. Government spending on dental services in England was cut by a quarter in real terms between 2010 and 2020. The number of NHS dentists is down by more than 500 to 24,151 since the pandemic.
3. Change the contracts
A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists’ contracts as “not fit for purpose” and described the state of the service as “unacceptable in the 21st century”. The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need.
It caps the number of procedures dentists can perform each year, setting an effective cap on the number of NHS patients they can see. Dentists get paid the same for doing three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket.
The BDA has expressed disappointment that dentistry was not mentioned in Keir Starmer’s recent “Plan for Change” which set out key promises to voters on issues like the NHS and crime.
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “For many families across this country NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist. Government promises won’t restore care to millions. Only a clear and properly funded plan of action can keep this service afloat.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said: “NHS dentistry is broken after years of neglect and has failed patients and staff for too long.
“It is unacceptable that patients are being forced to take matters into their own hands because they were unable to get an appointment.
“This government is committed to rebuilding dentistry, but it will take time. We will start with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most, and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.”
