Nearly half of Sussex children have not seen an NHS dentist in 12 months

That’s according to research commissioned from the House of Commons Library which estimates the number of children who weren’t seen by an NHS dentist in the year to June 2023, based on the latest data from the health service.

It shows 42.6 per cent of children had not been seen by a dentist in Sussex over the 12 month period along with 60.4 per cent of adults – equating to 796,196 people who went without NHS dental care over a 24 month period.

Now Horsham’s Liberal Democrats have slammed a new Government dental plan as ‘too little too late.’ The plan will see cash incentives for NHS dentists, mobile dental services and dental teams visiting schools and nurseries.

But the Lib Dems are calling for a dental healthcare rescue plan to boost the number of appointments. Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Horsham John Milne said: “The government’s plans are too little too late for local families who have been left waiting in pain struggling to get a dentist appointment.

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“It is appalling that so many children in our area are struggling to see an NHS dentist when they need to. We know that if children can’t access dental healthcare it can disrupt their eating, sleeping and learning.

“Instead of these half-baked reforms, we need a proper rescue package for dental healthcare. That means guaranteeing access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing emergency care, boosting the number of appointments and removing VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.”