Just a third of adults in England saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months to 31 March 2022, compared to nearly half in the last full year prior to the pandemic while 44.8% of children attended in the last year, down from 58.7% in 2019/20.
The figures from the Dental Health Association also reveal that in 2021-22, just 26.4m courses of NHS dental treatment were delivered.
This is only two-thirds of the average volumes delivered annually in the five years prior to COVID.
Since the start of the 2022/23 financial year dentists have been compelled to hit 100% of pre-pandemic activity, yet we understand there have been no gains in terms of the NHS dentistry delivered since 1 April.
“What we’re seeing isn’t a recovery,” says BDA Chair Eddie Crouch, “but a service on its last legs.”
“The Government will be fooling itself and millions of patients if it attempts to put a gloss on these figures.”
After a decade of savage cuts, we have estimated it would take an extra £880m a year simply to restore resources to 2010 levels. The recently announced ‘tweaks’ to the NHS contract have had no new funding attached and will not meaningfully expand access or halt the exodus from the NHS.
