35,402 South Glos children didn't see an NHS dentist in the past year
35,402 children in South Gloucestershire were not seen by an NHS dentist in the past year House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
Local MP Claire Young has called for an end to ‘dental deserts’ saying that these figures were a ‘damning indictment’ of Conservative party’s legacy of running local health services into the ground.
The research from the House of Commons Library, estimates the number of children who weren’t seen by an NHS dentist in the year to March 2024, based on the latest data from the health service.
It also revealed the proportion of children not seen by an NHS dentist in South Gloucestershire. For the previous year, a staggering 57.75% of children had not been seen by an NHS dentist.
This is despite the NHS recommending that under-18s see a dentist at least once a year because their teeth can decay faster, compared to two years for adults.
Tooth decay is also the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6-10. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry, including spending any funding that has gone unspent in recent years to boost the number of appointments as well as the removal of VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury & Yate Claire Young said:
“Everyone knows how important it is for children to be able to see a dentist when they need to. In our area, far too often that is proving impossible.
“The Conservative party’s disastrous legacy on the NHS cannot be understated. They allowed these vital services to decay instead of acting to fix the dental contract.
“The new government must make fixing local health services like dentistry here in South Gloucestershire a top priority and take urgent steps to rescue NHS dentistry.
“This must include extra investment in the upcoming Budget and bringing an end to dental deserts so that every child can see a local dentist when they need to.”