Shocking figures reveal just how many Lancashire adults have seen a dentist in the last year
Only around one in three adults in Lancashire has been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years, latest figures reveal.
In Blackpool, the proportion of the adult population seeing an NHS dental practitioner in the two years to the end of June 2022 was 35.1 pe rcent, down from 52.2 per cent in the 24 months to June 2019, while in Blackburn, the drop was to 37.9 per cent from 67.9 per cent. The current statistics for children in the two areas in the 12 months to 30th June, 2022, stand at 53.3 and 55.3 per cent, respectively.
“To have to go [that far] just to get an appointment with an NHS dentist is an absolute nonsense. It’s a long way if you’re in pain – as it is even if it’s just for a check-up to discover that there is absolutely no treatment necessary. There does seem to be a discrepancy when new practices are opening to offer cosmetic dentistry, but you can’t get basic treatment.
“As the cost of living catastrophe continues to hit households hard, private dentistry is not a feasible alternative for the many people living in pain. It’s a national scandal that people in our community are desperately turning to dangerous DIY dentistry because our public health services have been run into the ground by this Conservative government,” Cllr Potter said.