An investigation by the Daily Mirror has highlighted the extent of the NHS dental access crisis in England, with just one in five adults receiving NHS dental care in some areas.
As part of its Dentists for All campaign, the newspaper reported findings from research by Unity Trust Bank, which analysed NHS dental access by parliamentary constituency using data from the NHS Business Services Authority.
The analysis found that only 40% of adults across England had seen an NHS dentist in the previous two years, with the figure below 30% in many constituencies.
Peterborough had the lowest adult access rate, at 20%, followed by Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and Plymouth Moor View, both at 23%.
The South West emerged as a particular area of concern, accounting for six of the eight constituencies identified as having some of the lowest access rates for both adults and children.
In Glastonbury and Somerton, Taunton and Wellington, Bridgwater and Yeovil, fewer than 30% of adults had seen an NHS dentist in the previous two years, while only around 40% of children had received NHS dental care in the previous 12 months.
Across England as a whole, 60% of children had seen an NHS dentist in the previous year, up from 56% in June 2024. However, the investigation found that fewer than half of children had accessed NHS dental care in 70 parliamentary constituencies.
The research also examined the distribution of dental practices, including private providers. Stoke-on-Trent South had the lowest provision in England, with 5.17 practices per 100,000 residents, compared with an English average of 15.78.
A separate comparison of practices providing NHS care found that Scotland had 17.83 NHS dental practices per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.04 in England.
British Dental Association (BDA) chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘On paper NHS dentistry is meant to be a universal service.
‘In the real world it’s cash-starved, and access is pure postcode lottery. Millions are unable to secure the care they need. That won’t change until government fix and fund it.’
The Mirror highlighted that the Government increased the NHS dental budget in England to £3.5bn for 2024/25 and has committed to reforming the NHS dental contract.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the paper: ‘This government is fixing NHS dentistry after a decade of decline.
‘We have improved access to urgent dental treatment by prioritising patients with the greatest need, and millions of additional courses of treatment have been delivered.
‘But there is still more to do – especially to increase the dentistry workforce – and that is why we’re rolling out more dentistry school training places in areas which need them and cutting red tape to allow qualified dentists to practise.’