DIY dentistry on the rise as patients struggle to get appointments
DIY dentistry is on the rise in the UK, as patients struggle to get appointments.
Research suggests that 1 in 5 patients who cannot get an NHS dental appointment are resorting to DIY treatment.
Figures published on behalf of the Liberal Democrats show that 23% of people have not been able to get an NHS appointment in the last year.
Around 40% of the adults surveyed hadn’t tried to make an appointment and 36% were able to see a dentist. Of the 533 people who hadn’t managed to get an appointment, 21% said they had attempted DIY treatment at home. Examples of DIY dentistry include using filling kits and extracting teeth.
Within the group that hadn’t been able to access NHS dental care, almost 30% had paid to see a private dentist.
Health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, said, “It is now or never to save our NHS from a winter of crisis that will put patients at risk.” She described the prevalence of DIY dentistry as “heart-breaking” and accused the government of not caring about “vital local health services.”
Chair of the British Dental Association, Eddie Crouch, said that DIY treatment had “no place in a wealthy, 21st century nation” and described the situation as a “horror show.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said that the new health secretary, Therese Coffey, has outlined four key issues to address, including “ambulances, backlogs, doctors and dentists.”
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