Lincolnshire just about tops the list when it comes to not having access to NHS dentists.
Figures revealed by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) show the top five ‘dental deserts’ include North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire.
The areas relate to the Care Commissioning Groups responsible for each area and South Holland falls into the Lincolnshire catchment.
Statistics from the ADG show that less than 40 per cent of adults and children in the area have seen any dentist in the past 12 months.
With just 38 dentists per 100,000 of the population, Lincolnshire is highlighted as being an at risk ‘dental desert’ while North Lincolnshire has 32 and North East Lincolnshire has 37.
According to the association, all the areas in the top 20 of its list are likely to become ‘dental deserts’ and present a serious dental health risk to a huge number of people.
There was a drop of almost 1,000 NHS dentists nationally in 2020/21 and a year later the figure more than doubled.
Challenges with the contract system and the pandemic continue to hit NHS dentistry across the country, according to the ADG.
“Dental deserts not only stretch across the whole of the East of England,” said ADG chairman Neil Carmichael.
“Our fears of an exodus from NHS dentistry are proving to be founded.”
The ADG has a list of key activities to help, including raising the number of training places and recognising overseas qualifications.
Lincolnshire Healthwatch held a live panel event at the end of March which featured dentistry as an issue in the area.
A lack of access to NHS dentists, particularly for children, was highlighted as a problem during the session.
There were also aspirations to have a dental school created in Lincolnshire to help with recruitment and retention.
Discussions with Anglian Water and councils in relation to fluoride in local water were also put forward as a way to help ease the situation.
