1 million pregnant women and new mothers have missed out on free dental care amid access crisis
Up to a million pregnant women and new mothers have missed out on free dental care as a result of a lack of NHS appointments since the start of the pandemic.
According to NHS data, the number of appointments for pregnant women and women who are entitled to free dental care after giving birth decreased significantly during the pandemic.
NHS dental care should be available free of charge for pregnant women and women who have given birth during the last 12 months. However, many are struggling to get appointments.
NHS statistics show that the number of maternity claims for dental care fell from an average of 840,000 before the pandemic to 245,967 in 2020. Numbers increased to 490,298 in 2021/2022 but are still much lower than before the start of the Covid crisis. It is thought that more than 940,000 appointments were lost during lockdowns.
Chief scientific adviser for the British Dental Association, Professor Justin Durham, said that pregnant women and new mothers have access to free NHS dental services because “the risks are plain and the benefits clear.”
Prof Durham called for rapid action to improve access to services for pregnant women and new mums as “missing out on free regular dental care can have a substantial impact on both the mother and child.”
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