I leave the country to get a dentist appointment - 13m adults struggling to access NHS dental care

A woman has revealed that she leaves the country in order to get a dentist appointment.

When asked how easy she finds it to get an NHS dentist appointment, she said she goes back to her dentist in Ireland as she finds it easier to get an appointment there than in Britain.

Analysis from the British Dental Association (BDA) published today (July 17) has shown that 13 million adults are struggling to access NHS dental care.

The number is up from 12 million last year, and has seen a steep rise since the pre-COVID number of 4 million.

BDA’s analysis of the GP Survey by Ipsos shows an estimated 5.6 million adults tried and failed to secure an appointment in the last two years. According to the analysis, 5.4 million adults didn’t attempt to make appointments due to thinking they wouldn't be able to secure care. It also showed that the cost of care pushed 1.25 million adults away, with around 780,000 indicating they were on waiting lists.

During talks with the new Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP, the BDA say their Chair Eddie Crouch and General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) Chair Shawn Charlwood made the case for fundamental reform, and pressed for a short-term rescue package.

The BDA said: “We are cautiously optimistic now that the new government has publicly admitted the NHS is ‘broken’. We now need to move rapidly to rescue and reform this service. We will keep up the pressure to ensure words are followed up with action.”