Thousands of children in England are experiencing “heartbreaking” long waits for NHS dental care, with some waiting “in agony” for years to have teeth extracted, according to shocking new figures.
Health leaders and MPs warned of a “perfect storm” in which children are struggling to access dentists to nip minor issues “in the bud”, and then facing horrific waiting times for operations to fix problems that have spiralled out of control.
Data obtained under freedom of information laws and reviewed by the Guardian show children in some parts of England are waiting up to 18 months on average for dental procedures under general anaesthetic, principally tooth extractions. Some have waited several years.
About 27,000 children were on waiting lists for specialist dental care, assessments or procedures in January, according to the figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
The figures cover NHS community dental services. These are supposed to provide treatments to patients that require specialist dental care due to their specific needs.
These include children with special needs, children with physical or learning disabilities, children living in foster homes, children who are homeless, and children who are on “at risk” registers.
But the figures also includes children not in these categories whose untreated tooth decay has become so severe that they now require specific treatment for complex dental problems.
The figures expose a stark postcode lottery, with children in some areas facing average waits of 18 months, in many cases just to be assessed, before undergoing a procedure.
The data was taken from a survey carried out by the NHSBSA of community dental services across the country. It reveals how they are struggling due to staff shortages, patient demand and pressure on hospital capacity.
More than half of the providers responding to the survey said they were still operating below their pre-pandemic capacity. Only five providers were seeing all patients within 18 weeks of a referral. At some dental community service providers, fewer than 5% of patients were seen within 18 weeks.
“These figures show a stark postcode lottery, with families in some areas struggling to access the dental care they so desperately need,” said Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson.
“It is heartbreaking to think that some children are being left waiting in pain for months or even years for the specialised dental care they need. Every child deserves access to the dental care they need, regardless of where they live.
“The government must take urgent action to address this dental crisis, including tackling staff shortages and reforming the broken system that has driven dentists away from offering NHS appointments.”
Eddie Crouch, the chair of the British Dental Association, said: “Children are waiting in agony thanks to the indifference successive governments have shown to dentistry.
“Year-long backlogs pre-date Covid, because ‘prevention’ has been little more than a buzzword. It’s a perfect storm. Dentists are losing the battle to nip these problems in the bud, and struggle for theatre space when extractions are the only option.
“Ministers have been offered a blueprint for reform. They have a moral responsibility to use it.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was working to improve access to NHS dental care. “We have increased the funding practices receive for urgent care, to encourage dentists to provide more NHS treatments and we’re also taking preventive measures to improve children’s oral health, such as expanding water fluoridation schemes – which can significantly reduce the number of children experiencing tooth decay,” a spokesperson said. “Further reforms are planned for this year.”
NHS England (NHSE) said the Covid-19 pandemic had “inevitably had a knock-on effect”, increasing waiting times for routine and complex treatments. NHSE has made additional funding available to tackle waiting lists, a spokesperson added.