Number of missed dental appointments now stands at 40 million
The number of missed dental appointments during the pandemic now stands at 40 million.
Millions of people are facing a wait for dental treatment, but the situation could get worse. Research carried out by the British Dental Association (BDA) suggests that up to half of practices could stop NHS dental services by April 2022.
The statistics show that a year’s worth of dentistry has been lost since March 2020 when the first lockdown was announced. Dental practices across the UK closed between March and June but prolonged periods of restrictions mean that clinics have been operating at reduced capacity for almost 2 years.
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in DIY dentistry and more patients are now visiting their GPs or local Accident and Emergency departments to seek advice for dental problems.
The BDA has warned that NHS dentistry is on the brink. Many practices are unable to make NHS dental services work financially and there has been a surge in the number of practices going private.
The BDA blames “chronic underfunding” for creating impossible conditions for dentists and said that an “exodus” of dentists from the NHS will further increase waiting times.
A BDA survey showed that a third of dentists are planning to go private, while two-thirds are considering reducing NHS provision.
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