4am queues for NHS dental treatment could become the ‘new normal’, British Dental Association warns

• More than 12million people in the UK currently have an unmet need for dentistry
• Campaigners have warned the access ‘crisis’ is forcing patients to turn to DIY 

Daily 4am queues for the dentist risk becoming the ‘new normal’, experts have warned.

Leigh, in Greater Manchester, has joined a growing list of communities where struggling patients have queued from the break of dawn to access a dentist.

It follows reports from Faversham, in Kent, where last month a practice received 27,000 calls for just 60 NHS slots.

And in May, a practice in King’s Lynn saw queues of more than 300 people form from 4am.

Dentist leaders have warned the exodus of dentists from the NHS will grow without fundamental reform, and the service will not have a future.

Leigh, in Greater Manchester, has joined a growing list of communities where struggling patients have queued from the break of dawn to access a dentist. It follows reports from Faversham, in Kent, where last month a practice received 27,000 calls for just 60 NHS slots. Pictured, the queue outside dentist surgery Faversham Smiles last month

Dentist leaders have warned the exodus of dentists from the NHS will grow without fundamental reform, and the service will not have a future. Pictured, the queue outside dentist surgery Faversham Smiles last month. By 8am, more than 100 people desperate to access the subsidised service had queued up outside the practice in Kent

Only 43 per cent of over-18s were seen by a dentist in the 24 months to June this year, compared to more than half in the same period before the pandemic struck

Overall, 18.1million adults saw their dentist in the two years to June 2023, up from 16.4million in the 24 months to June 2022. But it is still well below the 21million seen in the two years to June 2020

Analysis of recent government data suggests more than 12 million people currently have an unmet need for dentistry, up a million on 2022 figures.

Over six million adults tried and failed to get an appointment in the past two years, and 4.4 million simply did not try because they thought they could not secure one.

Figures are now nearly three times pre-pandemic totals – in 2019 unmet need sat at over 4 million people.

Separate figures show 121 fewer dentists delivered NHS care last year than the year before and the number has fallen by more than 500 since lockdown.

Campaigners have warned the access ‘crisis’ is forcing patients to turn to DIY dentistry, with some pulling out their own teeth as they struggle to be seen.

A recent Health and Social Care Committee inquiry described the state of the NHS dental service as ‘totally unacceptable in the 21st century’.

It set out fundamental change centered on reform of the NHS contract dentists work to.

The British Dental Association (BDA), which represents dentists, characterized the reform plan as an ‘instruction manual’ to save NHS dentistry.

A recovery plan for the service – promised in April – has yet to be published by the government.

BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘These scenes have no place in wealthy 21st century nation, but risk becoming the new normal for millions of patients.

‘The Conservative Party will gather in Greater Manchester in little under a month. Ministers need to come armed with solutions to this crisis or NHS dentistry won’t have a future.’

The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.  

How much does NHS dentistry cost?

There are 3 NHS charge bands:

Band 1: £23.80

Covers an examination, diagnosis and advice. If necessary, it also includes X-rays, a scale and polish, and planning for further treatment.

Band 2: £65.20

Covers all treatment included in Band 1, plus additional treatment, such as fillings, root canal treatment and removing teeth (extractions).

Band 3: £282.80

Covers all treatment included in Bands 1 and 2, plus more complex procedures, such as crowns, dentures and bridges.

For comparison, check-ups can cost between £20 and £120 at private dentists, according to Which?.

Dentures and bridges can also cost up to £2,520, the consumer watchdog says.

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