As the number of children in Wiltshire who have not seen an NHS dentist in the past year reaches 51,000, Chippenham’s MP, Sarah Gibson, has led a debate demanding action to fix the crisis.

The debate took place on Tuesday, November 5, following the decision of the town's Hathaway Dental Practice to stop accepting NHS patients.

Research by the House of Commons Library shows more than 51,000 children in Wiltshire have not visited a dentist in the past year.

NHS England also reports only 33 per cent of adults in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board have seen an NHS dentist in the past two years.

Ms Gibson said: "When Hathaway closed the door on NHS patients last Friday, this was a major blow to my constituents.

"The data locally is shocking. Children and adults in our rural communities have been left stranded in a dental desert with no relief in sight."

Ms Gibson expressed concerns about the state of the NHS dental system.

"Rural areas are being hit hardest by our broken NHS dental system, and unfortunately, there does not seem to be much hope on the horizon," she said.

Ms Gibson also asked the health minister, Stephen Kinnock, to establish a timeline for the implementation of the 'NHS Dental Contract' and argued dentists "across the country" are opting to go into private practice rather than the NHS.

She added: "Once they’ve left the NHS, they are reluctant to come back.”

In response to Ms Gibson's debate, Mr Kinnock acknowledged the need for lasting reform within the NHS but said the government inherited a broken system.

Following the debate, Liberal Democrat MP Ms Gibson expressed disappointment at the lack of participation from Conservative MPs.

She said: "When over 51,000 children and two thirds of adults in Wiltshire and the surrounding area haven’t seen a dentist recently, I was astonished that not a single Conservative MP decided to take part in my debate to bring this issue to the government.

"This debate was a crucial step in my campaign to improve access to NHS dentists across our constituency, and I will continue to hold this government’s feet to the fire on this issue."