135 people forced to attend A&E last year as patients struggle to get dentist appointments.

Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Margaret Mullane today writes in the Havering Daily.

135 people were forced to attend A&E across Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust last year due to dental decay, as patients across the country find it impossible to get an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need one. 

At BHRUT hospitals in 2022/23, 105 patients were seen in A&E with a dental abscess, caused by tooth decay, and 30 with dental caries. Across the country last year, 67,000 patients attended emergency departments with tooth decay. 

The number of patients attending A&E with dental decay speaks to the alarming decline of NHS dentistry. Labour’s analysis of patient survey data suggests that 4.75 million people across England were denied an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years. Figures show millions of people were either told no appointments were available or that the practice they contacted was not taking on new patients.

The inability for patients to access dental healthcare has forced many into A&E departments when their conditions have worsened. Currently, tooth decay is the most common reason for children aged 6-10 to be admitted to hospital. 

Labour’s plans to restore NHS dentistry to all who need it include:

• Funding NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments, for patients in need of things like fillings and root canal.

• Incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, to tackle the emergence of ‘dental deserts’ where no NHS dentists are taking on new patients

• Supervised toothbrushing in schools for 3-5 year olds, targeted at the areas with highest childhood tooth decay

• Reform the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run, so NHS dentistry is there for all who need it

The plans will cost £111 million a year in total and be funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status, which allows people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.

 “Millions of people are being denied an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need it.This must change. Whilst 135 people may not seem like a lot of people when we consider that around 170,000 patients present at Queen’s A&E per year, it is still an added burden on an already overstretched service. However, with nowhere else to turn it is often the only answer for local people with serious tooth decay.”

“Labour will rescue NHS dentistry from this crisis, so people can get an appointment when they need one. We will provide 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need and recruit more dentists to areas with the worst shortages.” 

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