NHS dentistry is “hanging by a thread” with some patients facing two-year waits for routine check-ups.
That's the warning from unions after data from England and Wales showed more than 2,500 dental posts were lost – made up of more than 1,000 dentists, some of whom worked in multiple areas.
At least one town in England has been unable to attract a single applicant for vacant NHS dentist posts for two years.
The Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire clinical commissioning group area has seen its amount of NHS dentists drop from 470 in 2017 to 405 in 2021 - a drop of 14 per cent over the last five years.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said unhappiness with the NHS dental contract was a key factor.
NHS England said patients who needed care the most should be prioritised, and said it had set up 600 urgent dental centres across England.
The number of NHS dentists working in two English CCGs fell by more than a quarter in the year ending March 31, 2021, with the combined equivalent of 2,435 dentists leaving the health service.
The worst-affected was NHS Portsmouth CCG, which lost 26 per cent of its NHS dentists over 12 months. Meanwhile, 28 other English CCGs have lost at least 10 per cent of their NHS dentists.
The BDA’s Shawn Charlwood warned significant numbers of dentists were planning on leaving the NHS.
“NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread, because without NHS dentists, there will be no NHS dentistry,” said Mr Charlwood.
“It’s a really serious situation and every dentist that is lost or every vacancy for NHS dentistry that remains unfilled affects thousands of patients in terms of care and their ability to access care.”
The BBC reported that one dental practice in Barnsley has had two NHS dental posts vacant for two years - without attracting a single applicant.
“Every practice struggling to fill vacancies translates into thousands of patients unable to access care,” said Mr Charlwood.
"Years of failed contracts and underfunding have meant a growing number of dentists no longer see the NHS as a place to build a career. The pandemic has upped the ante, and we are now facing down an exodus."
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS has taken unprecedented action to support NHS dentists throughout the pandemic by providing additional funding for practices unable to deliver their usual levels of activity, alongside rapidly setting up 600 urgent dental centers across England so patient services could be maintained during the pandemic.
“People should continue to come forward for the dental care they need, and the care and treatment of people who need it most should be prioritised.”
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