New data shows Londoners are least likely to see a dentist
New data shows that Londoners are less likely to have seen a dentist in the last two years than patients in other parts of the country.
New figures from the NHS revealed that in some boroughs, only 14% of adults have seen a dentist in the last 24 months. Nine of the top ten spots for lowest attendance rates in the country are occupied by parts of the capital.
Analysis by the Liberal Democrats found that in the City of London, attendance rates fell from 38% in 2018 to 14% in 2020-2022. In Tower Hamlets, 21.9% of adults have seen a dentist since 2020 and in Richmond, almost 25% have had a dental appointment.
The new data suggests that children in the city are also going without dental care. Less than a third of children in Islington and Kensington and Chelsea have been to the dentist in the last two years. This represents a decrease of almost 20% since 2018.
Low attendance rates have been attributed to practice closures and the suspension of routine dental appointments during the pandemic and a shortage of NHS dentists.
Most practices closed for several weeks during the first lockdown, which started in March 2020, and huge backlogs amassed during a prolonged period of restrictions, which lasted until 2021. Since 2020, around 3,000 NHS dentists have left the service to pursue private work, retire or change careers.
Difficulties getting an appointment have contributed to an increase in DIY dentistry and some patients have reported travelling for hours or borrowing money to pay for private dental treatment.
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