More than 40% of Leicester residents haven’t seen an NHS dentist for 2 years
More than 40% of Leicester residents haven’t seen an NHS dentist for at least 2 years, according to new figures.
Statistics from the latest GP Patient Survey suggested that 15% of patients in the city hadn’t tried to make an appointment in the last 24 months, while 27% had never tried to see an NHS dentist. The survey was carried out as part of an independent study undertaken by Ipsos Mori on behalf of NHS England. Dental experts recommend routine examinations every 6-12 months.
Of those who said that they had not tried to make an appointment with an NHS dentist, 7% said that the charges were too high, 11% said that they assumed they wouldn’t be able to get an appointment, and 32% stated that they didn’t need to see a dentist. Around 15% of those surveyed preferred to see a private dentist, and 6% had stayed with an NHS surgery that had turned into a private practice.
Figures in Leicester reflect a national trend, which revealed an increase in the number of patients not attending NHS appointments in the last 2 years. NHS Digital figures suggest that in the 24-month period leading up to June 2019, 21,960,000 adults saw an NHS dentist. The proportion of people not attempting to make an appointment has increased from 41.2% in 2018 to 41.7% in 2019.
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