New report highlights alarming dental access issues in South Cumbria
A new report has revealed that South Cumbria is among the worst-affected areas in the UK in terms of dental access issues.
A new study carried out by dental chain, mydentist, highlighted alarming problems in the North West, most notably in South Cumbria. The Great Oral Health Report, which polled 2,000 adults from across the country, showed that more and more people are struggling to get dental appointments at NHS practices.
In the North West, 22% of people have not been able to get a routine check-up in the last year. This figure is significantly higher than the national average, which is 14%. Over 60% of adults in the North West said that it was more difficult to see an NHS dentist today than it was a decade ago. South Cumbria emerged as one of the worst-affected areas, with rural and coastal communities the most poorly served.
Chair of the Association of Dental Groups (ADG), Neil Carmichael, said that dentists all over the country are leaving the NHS due to rising pressure on services and a dental contract that is “broken.” Mr Carmichael described the last two years as a “perfect storm” that has pushed dentists to either go private, change careers or retire early.
The latest statistics suggest that 10 million people are waiting for dental treatment and almost 20 million appointments have been missed during the pandemic.
The Great Oral Health Report highlighted widespread access issues. Nationally, “millions of patients are struggling to access NHS dentistry” and there is a “growing gulf between the North and South of the country.” The study also indicates that without urgent action and increased funding, hundreds of NHS dental practices could close in the next ten years.
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