Millions struggle to get appointment with NHS dentist, survey suggests

Millions of people in England have tried and failed to access an NHS dentist, according to leading members of the profession.

Millions more have not even attempted to seek care as they do not think they will secure an appointment, analysis by the British Dental Association (BDA) suggests.

Using data from the GP Survey by Ipsos , the BDA found 13 million people – or 28% of England’s adult population – have an unmet need for NHS dentistry.

The figure includes an estimated 5.6 million adults who have tried and failed to secure a dental appointment in the last two years.

It also estimates 5.4 million people no longer attempt to make appointments, as they do not believe they can secure one.

These numbers are stark reminder we need urgency and ambition to save this service

Some 1.25 million find dental care too costly, according to the BDA, while a further 780,000 people are on a waiting list for an NHS dentist.

Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, warned: “NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist for millions across this country.”

Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting met dentists to begin discussions about reforming the NHS dental contract.

The contract for dental services has been blamed for a number of problems in dentistry, including an exodus of NHS dentists and so-called dental deserts, where patients struggle to find NHS care close to where they live.

Mr Charlwood added: “A new government has inherited old problems but luckily hasn’t followed in its predecessor’s footsteps by pretending this crisis has been solved.

“These numbers are stark reminder we need urgency and ambition to save this service.”

During the General Election campaign, Labour pledged to create 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments a year as well as recruiting new dentists to under-served areas.

The party also said it would introduce supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.