NHS Dentistry in crisis: Half of adults and one third of children in Greater Manchester go two years without an appointment.
Shocking figures uncovered by Oldham Liberal Democrats show that 50% of adults across Greater Manchester go two years without a dentist appointment on the NHS. For children, the figures for those going without care stands at over one third.
The news follows concerns raised by Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE over the number of dentists who are walking away from the NHS.
Councillor Sykes said, “Under the Conservative government, local healthcare has all but collapsed. People cannot get a dentist appointment for love nor money. It’s hardly surprising given hundreds of dentists are leaving the NHS.”
According to NHS advice, children should receive a dental check-up every 6 months due to the fact that tooth decay can be more rapid during early years. But more than one third of Children across Oldham and Greater Manchester are waiting more than a year to be seen.
Councillor Sykes said, “This is extremely worrying for parents. Faced with the prospect of a seemingly endless wait for treatment on the NHS, more and more families are at risk of having to pay out privately.”
“NHS dentistry needs a rescue package from the government. Budgets have gone unspent in recent years when that money could have gone into boosting the number of available appointments.”
“The government could take steps right away by cutting VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste. Instead, we just have silence and inaction.”
Data on appointments compiled by the House of Commons Library:
Dental patients seen.xlsx – Google Sheets
More from councillor Sykes on NHS dentistry:
NHS Dentist staffing crisis as almost 1,000 walk away across England last year – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)