More than 8,000 patients diagnosed with tooth decay in Sussex amid continuing troubles with dentist appointments
8,834 patients in Sussex hospitals have been diagnosed with tooth decay over the last few years, as troubles with securing dentist appointments continue.
The new investigation, which took place across University Hospitals Sussex, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trusts, shows the scale of strain that a lack of access to dental appointments is putting on the NHS, new statistics from Public Interest Lawyers shows.
Each of these patients should be treated with regular appointments at their local dentists to avoid severe situations, but, since many dentists are not taking on new patients, they are turning up to A&E in their thousands.
According to the BBC and the British Dental Association, 90 per cent 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.
Tooth decay is the biggest primary cause of NHS hospital admissions in England aged between 5 and 17, as 40% of children no longer have access to regular dental appointments, a Public Interest Lawyers spokesperson said.
The picture in Sussex reflects that of the country at large. 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.
In 2021/22, the number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay in Sussex hospitals stood at 3,007. A year later, this number decreased to 2799, which is the lowest number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay over the three-year period. The past year has seen a rise in patients diagnosed with tooth decay and related issues, standing at 3028