Reports find more than 500 tooth decay cases in Devon

Figures obtained by Public Interest Lawyers, a firm specialising in public interest cases, have revealed that more than 500 patients have been diagnosed with tooth decay in Devon hospitals over the past three years.

The information, gathered via Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, sheds light on the growing struggle to access NHS dental appointments across the county.

Public Interest Lawyers, who provide resources and guidance on legal claims, including medical negligence and personal injury, reported that since 2021, 549 patients across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust were treated for tooth decay. 

This trust provides care for people across Northern, Eastern, and Mid Devon.

The legal firm pointed out that patients with tooth decay should ideally be treated by their local dentist through regular check-ups. 

However, with many NHS dentists no longer accepting new patients, a rising number of people are turning to A&E for help. 

Public Interest Lawyers' findings mirror reports from the British Dental Association (BDA) and the BBC, which reveal that 90 per cent of dentists across the UK are not taking on new NHS adult patients, and many will only see children if their parents are registered as private patients.

The number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay in Devon hospitals has risen sharply. 

In 2021/22, there were 132 cases, increasing slightly to 140 the following year. 

However, in 2023, the number surged to 277 cases. 

Nationally, tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to 17, as an estimated 40 per cent of children no longer have access to regular dental appointments.

Public Interest Lawyers also revealed that between April 2022 and May 2023, 30,000 children and over 70,000 adults across England were admitted to A&E with tooth decay and related dental issues. 

The growing number of ‘dental deserts’, areas where no NHS dentists are accepting new patients, has worsened the crisis.

Their FOI findings further revealed fluctuations in the number of children aged 5 to 17 being treated for tooth decay in Devon hospitals. 

In 2021/22, 12 young patients were diagnosed, with this figure dropping to six the following year before rising again to 28 in 2023.

Labour's analysis of NHS patient survey data further supports these findings, suggesting that 4.75 million people across England have been denied an NHS dental appointment in the last two years, either due to a lack of availability or because practices are not accepting new patients.

In response to the rising dental care crisis, a spokesperson for NHS Devon said: “The NHS in Devon is working hard to try and improve access for residents, engaging local dental clinicians, their representatives, and partners to offer practical support to enable dental practices to take on more NHS dentistry in the area.

“This includes introducing extra urgent and stabilisation appointments to ensure people who need to be seen urgently or who have multiple dental problems can be seen quickly, working closely with local dental surgery’s to focus additional dental practice limited NHS capacity on people with the greatest need.  This is enabling children and those who need an urgent problem to access an NHS dentist.”

The spokesperson highlighted several initiatives aimed at increasing access to dental care, including:

• 108 additional urgent dental appointments per week, commissioned since September 2021, which can be accessed by calling NHS 111.
• A Dental Clinical Nurse triage system, currently being trialled on the NHS 111 dental phoneline, to help prioritise urgent cases.
• A Stabilisation programme for patients with multiple urgent dental issues, offering additional appointments as part of unscheduled dental care. This initiative provides 131 sessions of stabilisation per week in Devon.
• The introduction of First Dental Steps, a programme in which health visitors and midwives are trained to give oral health advice to families with children under two years old. Families in need will also receive oral health packs containing toothbrushes and toothpaste.

The spokesperson continued: “In addition the NHS in Devon is taking steps to support people, families and children to care for their teeth and gums from an early age with advice for children and young people in schools and from health visitors and midwives, such as First Dental Steps and Supervised Toothbrushing in schools.” 

Further steps have been taken to increase dental access for children, with the NHS commissioning additional children's orthodontic care across 20 dental practices in Devon.