A third of adults have seen an NHS dentist in the last two years
A third of UK adults have seen an NHS dentist in the last two years, according to new figures from NHS Digital.
Statistics show that 34% of adults had an NHS dental appointment in the 24-month period ending on March 31st, 2022. Within the same time frame before the pandemic, 49.6% of adults saw an NHS dentist.
The data also showed that less than 45% of children visited an NHS dentist. This is a substantial fall from 58.7% before the Covid crisis.
Figures indicate a significant decrease in treatment delivery between 2021/2022 and the five-year average before the pandemic. In 2021/2022, NHS dentists delivered a total of 26.4 million courses of treatment compared to over 39 million prior to the outbreak of Covid in 2020.
Chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), Eddie Crouch, said, “What we’re seeing isn’t a recovery, but a service on its last legs.” He warned the government against putting “a gloss on these figures” and said that urgent action is required, describing the NHS as being “lightyears away from where it needs to be.”
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