Almost a quarter of Isle of Wight dental patients advised to go to the mainland for treatment
Almost a quarter of dental patients on the Isle of Wight have been advised to go to the mainland for treatment as a result of a shortage of appointments.
A recent report compiled by Healthwatch revealed that just under 25% of patients have been encouraged to seek treatment on the mainland during the pandemic. The demand for treatment is rising but there are not enough dentists to treat patients on the island.
Some patients have reported living with severe pain and being unable to see an emergency dentist and others have been advised to travel to the mainland if they don’t want to wait for an appointment.
Although the pandemic has exacerbated dental access issues, statistics revealed that attendance rates were lower than average before the Covid-19 crisis. Figures suggest that just 50.6% of adults and 54.2% of children saw a dentist in the 24-month period leading up to December 2019, despite guidance advising patients to have a check-up every 6-12 months.
Isle of Wight dentist, Philip Lewis, said that dental practices have come up against a series of setbacks and hurdles during the pandemic. Practices are required to adhere to measures and protocols to protect staff and patients, which means that numbers are limited.
Dentists are only able to offer a set number of appointments and this means that it’s difficult to clear backlogs and provide rapid access to services for patients. Staffing is also a major problem, with a national shortage of dentists compounded by staff sickness and self-isolation.
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