New research collected by the Oral Health Foundation has found further evidence of an NHS dental service in crisis. The oral health charity is now calling on ministers to promptly address the issue of backed up dental appointments and provide the support NHS dentistry needs to get back on track.
A survey of over 2,000 British adults has found that almost half (45%) reported delays to their dental appointments or treatments in the last 12 months. This is more than any other health service including GP surgeries (30%), hospital services (16%) and mental health support (11%).
Latest figures suggest that as many as 20 million dental appointments have been delayed or cancelled since March 2020.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, believes that vital funding and support is needed for NHS dentistry to avoid the nation sleepwalking into an oral health crisis.
Dr Carter says: “Dentistry has been severely underfunded for many years and services have suff…
