Poll: Should the NHS give more funding to dentists?
Poll: Should the NHS give more funding to dentists?
New data has revealed a "decade of inertia in access to dentistry" as the latest figures show a drop in the number of people seen by an NHS dentist, a leading dental surgeon has said.Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, also said it is "appalling" that tooth decay remains the most common reason why five-to-nine-year-olds are admitted to hospital.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) said its latest figures show there has been a "real reduction in the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist".They show the number of adult patients seen in the two-year period leading up to April fell by 0.3% to 30.08 million.
Adults are advised to visit the dentist between every three months and two years but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends that the longest time between appointments for children is 12 months.
HSCIC figures show t he number of children seen by an NHS dentist in the year leading up to March 31 was 6.9 million, representing just 60% of the child population.
London was the only region where the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist increased.
The South of England had the greatest number of patients seen in the 24 months up to the end of June, with 7.3 million patients seen - a 37.2% share of all patients in England, which it said may be in part because the South has the greatest success rate in achieving a dental appointment.
The Royal College of Surgeons said the nation's poor dental record was a combination of patient complacency with regard to looking after their teeth along with access to dental appointments, both of which need to be addressed by the Government.
New data has revealed a "decade of inertia in access to dentistry" as the latest figures show a drop in the number of people seen by an NHS dentist, a leading dental surgeon has said.Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, also said it is "appalling" that tooth decay remains the most common reason why five-to-nine-year-olds are admitted to hospital.The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) said its latest figures show there has been a "real reduction in the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist".They show the number of adult patients seen in the two-year period leading up to April fell by 0.3% to 30.08 million.
Adults are advised to visit the dentist between every three months and two years but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends that the longest time between appointments for children is 12 months.
HSCIC figures show t he number of children seen by an NHS dentist in the year leading up to March 31 was 6.9 million, representing just 60% of the child population.
London was the only region where the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist increased.
The South of England had the greatest number of patients seen in the 24 months up to the end of June, with 7.3 million patients seen - a 37.2% share of all patients in England, which it said may be in part because the South has the greatest success rate in achieving a dental appointment.
The Royal College of Surgeons said the nation's poor dental record was a combination of patient complacency with regard to looking after their teeth along with access to dental appointments, both of which need to be addressed by the Government.
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