Photo Cottonbro Studio.
As getting a dentist appointment seemingly becomes harder and harder, Southampton hospitals have diagnosed hundreds of patients with dental issues.
More than 450 patients have been diagnosed with issues attributed to tooth decay in Southampton hospitals over the past three years, a new investigation has revealed.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust provides services to some 1.9 million people living in Southampton and South Hampshire.
Figures obtained by Public Interest Lawyers show that 457 patients had a diagnosis of tooth decay during their spell at these hospitals since 2021.
Those suffering from dental problems should be treated at their local dentist with regular appointments to avoid severe situations, yet with many dentists not taking on new patients, people are turning up to A&E in their tens of thousands across the country.
According to the BBC and the British Dental Association (BDA), 90% of dentists across the UK are not taking on new NHS adult patients, and many refuse to see a child unless a parent is signed up as a private patient.
In 2021/22, the number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay in Southampton hospitals stood at 157.
A year later, this number increased to 171, which is the highest number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay over the three-year period.
The past year has seen a drop in patients diagnosed with tooth decay and related issues, standing at 129.
Tooth decay is the biggest primary cause of NHS hospital admissions for children in England aged between 5 and 17, with 40% of children no longer having access to regular dental appointments.
Between April 2022 and May 2023, 30,000 children and more than 70,000 adults in England were admitted to A&E with tooth decay.
Many places in the UK are now considered to be ‘dental deserts’, where 100% of dentists are not taking on new patients.
Public Interest Lawyers also obtained the figures on how many patients diagnosed with tooth decay, or dental issues were aged between 5 and 17.
In 2021/22, there were 22 patients aged 5-17 before this figure dropped to 18 a year later.
The number of under-18 patients then increased in 2023/24, with the total being 22.
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.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton