One In Three Struggling To Find An NHS Dentist

Thu, 02 Apr 2009

A third of Brits are struggling to find an NHS dentist, despite government promises to improve access to dental care, new research has revealed.

A survey of 1,700 people, carried out by private dental insurance provider Simplyhealth, found that 35 per cent of respondents had difficulty finding an NHS dentist at some point – up from 23 per cent the previous year.

The poll also revealed that 43 per cent had been put off visiting the dentist because they were worried about the cost, compared to last year’s figure of 20 per cent

Plymouth was found to be the worst area for access to NHS dentistry, with 51 per cent unable to find a dentist, followed by Southampton and Manchester, with figures of 45 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

Cost was the biggest worry for people in the capital, with 54 per cent of the Londoners saying they avoided the dentist due to cost fears.

Abbey Bowman from Simplyhealth said: "The NHS dental contracts introduced three years ago were supposed to give more people access to dentists, but as our research shows this is only getting worse."

However, the Department of Health dismissed the findings, saying they "did not reflect reality".

Health minister, Ann Keen, commented: "Thanks to over £2 billion investment in NHS dentistry, recent official statistics shows that access to NHS dentistry has actually increased and there's 655 more dentists than the year before.

"People who want an NHS dentist should contact their local Primary Care Trust or check the NHS Choices website, which has a postcode search facility for local dental practices and local helpline numbers."

"I would urge people not to compromise on oral healthcare simply to save money as there's no need. An NHS check-up costs just £16.50, and people on very low incomes and children can get free NHS dental treatment ."
add to favouritesnewsletterlink to this pagesend to friendpost comments

Link to this page

Copy and Paste the following HTML into your page.

Health cover, life insurance and PMIProtect Your Health

Find Critical illness, Life and Private Medical Insurance PMI policies.

Save money on your mortgageSave on Your Mortgage

Would you like to save money on your mortgage? Fill out our quick mortgage enquiry form