Dentists quitting the NHS have increased by a third in the past four years.
The crisis in accessing NHS dentists is laid bare in new data which also shows one in seven in England are nearing retirement age. The House of Commons Library research shows over 2,000 dentists left the NHS in 2022/23, up from 1,516 in 2018/19.
A further 3,532 dentists are nearing retirement age in England and in some areas this is as many as one in three dentists.
Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, which commissioned the research, said: “Across the country, millions of people are going without basic dental care, with many even turning to pulling their own teeth out due to the lack of services. It is an utterly appalling situation that has to be brought to an end. The Conservative government has pushed dentistry to the brink and it is children and parents who are paying the price of their neglect. Years of this Conservative government kicking the can down the road is creating an exodus of dentists from the NHS.”
The Mirror has launched the Dentists for All campaign demanding NHS dentistry is rescued. Our online petition has now reached 222,000 signatures.
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It comes as most dentists in England are no longer taking on new NHS patients due to a “flawed” payment system and a decade of underfunding.
Currently if an NHS dentist treats more patients than their NHS contract target then they receive no payment for it - effectively capping the numbers able to access a dentist.
This total NHS dentistry budget for England has already seen a £1 billion real terms cut over the last decade due to inflation and has remained flat despite population growth.
The BDA estimates the budget is only enough to fund care for half the population in England. It is increasingly made up of the contribution from patient charges which have gone up by 45% in the last decade.
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee said: “For a generation NHS dentistry has experienced savage cuts with no precedent.
“Starved of funds, and often paying for NHS treatments out of their own pocket, a growing number of dentists are walking away. Saving this service will require wholesale reform, underpinned by sustainable funding.”
The retirement timebomb for some areas has been exposed in the new data which shows in North Lincolnshire 29% of NHS dentists are aged 55 and over. In North East Lincolnshire it is 27%, Norfolk and Waveney 24%, East Sussex 22% and in Dorset it is 20%.
The Liberal Democrats have announced an election pledge for a £750 million a year dental rescue plan, to offer more appointments and free check-ups for children Mr Davey added: “The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious plan to fix the dental contract and tackle the crisis in dental care.
“Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to get rid of this appalling Conservative government and fix the NHS and care.”
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