Half of adults and a third of all children in Oldham and Greater Manchester not seen by a dentist Liberal Democrats reveal

Oldham Liberal Democrats have uncovered shocking new data that shows more than 35% of children across Oldham and Greater Manchester have not been seen within the 12-month timeframe recommended by NHS England.

According to research compiled by the House of Commons Library, more than 220,000 children across the Greater Manchester region have waited longer than 12 months for an appointment. 

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Children are being failed by this government, who have allowed NHS dentistry to fall into crisis.  The consequences four our children can be very serious.”

“Tooth decay is now the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6-10.”

The Liberal Democrats also warned of a crisis facing adult dental services after research revealed that more than 1 million adults across Greater Manchester had not been seen within the 24-month period required by NHS England. 

Despite these figures, it has been estimated that a record £400 million in NHS Dentistry funding was left unspent in 2023 due to a shortage of dentists willing to take on NHS work.

Councillor Sykes said, “There are steps the government could take to put an end to this dentistry crisis.  Liberal Democrats want to use the millions of pounds that have been left unspent to boost appointments and guarantee an NHS dentist for anyone needing emergency care.”

“The government should also help families by removing VAT from children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.”

NOTES:

The research from the House of Commons Library can be found here. 
Tooth decay being the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6-10 can be found here.
It has previously been estimated that the NHS budget was underspent by a record £400m last year, due to dentists not finding it economical to take on NHS work.