NHS dentistry "hanging by a thread" with two-year waits for check-ups

In January 2022 the 大象传媒 Shared Data Unit reported around 1,000 NHS dentists left the health service last year - the equivelent of more than 2,500 posts across England and Wales.

Unions warned NHS dentistry is "hanging by a thread" with some patients facing two-year waits for routine check ups.

The British Dental Association (BDA) said unhappiness with the NHS dental contract was a key factor.

The number of NHS dentists working in two English clinical commissioning group areas (CCGs) fell by more than a quarter in the year ending March 31, 2021, with the combined equivalent of 2,435 dentists leaving the health service.

The worst-affected was NHS Portsmouth CCG, which lost 26% of its NHS dentists over 12 months.

Meanwhile, 28 other English CCGs have lost at least 10% of their NHS dentists.

In Wales, 6% of NHS dental posts were lost, with 83 fewer dentists working across health boards than the year before.

The worst-affected area was the Swansea Bay University Health Board, which had 22% fewer NHS dentists compared to the year before.

NHS England said patients who needed care the most should be prioritised, and said it had set up 600 urgent dental centres across England.

Days after our stoiry was published, Westminster allocated 拢50million in dentistry funding. The British Dental Association credited our story for the government's response.

Data and sources

The data and background methodology released to partners are available here:

Interviews and quotes

Pamela Carr, from Carlisle, who has been living with pain for more than a year and hasn't been able to find an NHS dentist
Matthew Drake, from Kent, who used all his savings to pay for private dental treatment having failed to find an NHS dentist
Sharon Grey, from Suffolk, who used metal files and superglue on her own teeth after failing to find an NHS dentist
Shawn Charlwood, the British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee chairman
Chris McCann, Healthwatch's interim director
Sarfraz Khan, clinical director of TSJ Smile who runs six dental practices in Barnsley

The story featured on television on the 大象传媒 News Channel and it was also reported by 大象传媒 6 Music, Breakfast, Newsbeat, Asian Network and Radio Wales.

Regional 大象传媒 TV programmes that covere the story included: Look East, Points West, East Midlands Today, 大象传媒 London, Spotlight, South Today, Look North and Midlands Today.

Local 大象传媒 radio stations covered the story in Suffolk, Oxford, Norfolk, Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcester, Nottingham, Cornwall, York, Tees, Gloucester, Devon, Leeds, Jersey, Newcastle, Sheffield, Northampton, Lancashire, Berkshire and Bristol.

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