South West worst for NHS dentist access, data says
PA MediaThe south-west of England is the worst place to live if you are an NHS dentist patient, data has suggested.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said the GP Patient Survey 2026 showed Devon was the worst with 62% of people who tried to get an NHS Dentist appointment in the last two years succeeding, in comparison to 81% England-wide.
In Cornwall it was 66% with many in the county saying they had given up on trying.
A Department of Health spokesperson said it had taken "swift action" to rebuild NHS dentistry and its reforms to the dental contract "prioritise patients with the greatest needs".
'Really, really depressing'
On Friday, Cornwall Council hosted a Dentistry Summit with experts discussing challenges the county faced with access to NHS dentistry.
BDA said 34% of those who said in the survey they had not tried accessing an NHS dentist in Cornwall in the last two years stated they just did not think they would be able to get one.
It added 11% of those who did not try said they were currently on an NHS waiting list.
BDA chairman Eddie Crouch said there were many local drivers, but "ultimately this is a problem made in Westminster and it can only be solved in Westminster".
Crouch said: "These stats are really, really depressing.
"I think Cornwall was historically a place of relatively poor access and I think since the pandemic we've seen significant changes.
"We've seen a 20% drop in the number of adults seen in Cornwall by NHS dentists in the last six years and that is one of the highest drops in any part of the country."
Jenna Lane, from Penryn, said she has an NHS dentist but it had been "quite some time" since she last had an appointment.
She said: "I think it needs investment and our MP Jane Kirkham, she's putting time and effort into it but it needs a lot of work."
Neisha Nicholls, from Perranwell, said she had a private dentist and would not want to go back to the NHS.
"Because of the treatment that we've had so far from the NHS, the whole family's moved on to private," she said.
"I run a care agency so for a lot of older people especially trying to get NHS dentists to homes and stuff is unbelievably difficult."
Phil Partridge, from Truro, said he used to have an NHS Dentist and now has a private one.
"I was on an NHS scheme ... and then they changed to private so then I had to go privately but I was in the fortunate situation that I could afford to do that," Partridge said.
"You need more dentists because not everybody's got the finance to be able to do that."
Craig Lancaster, from Fraddon, said he did not have the money for a private dentist.
"It's impossible to get an appointment, waiting lists are massive," he added.
'Years of decline'
A spokesperson for the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board said access to an NHS dentist was "very important" to local residents and it introduced measures to increase availability including a dental van.
They said: "We are also providing thousands of additional urgent and emergency dental care appointments and offering additional 'stabilisation' appointments for patients following emergency dental care to treat other urgent dental issues.
"We have been working with local dentists to procure additional NHS contracts in areas of greatest need and support initiatives to recruit dentists locally."
The Department of Health said too many people were struggling to access the dental care they needed after "years of decline".
It said it had delivered 1.8m additional courses of treatment and the ringfenced budget for NHS dentistry was £4.2 billion for the current financial year.
It added: "Our reforms to the dental contract prioritise patients with the greatest needs - improving access across the country - and delivering a better deal for dentists while our prevention programme is building healthy dental habits in up to 600,000 children, tackling tooth decay from an early age.
"To build a sustainable workforce, we're also rolling out more dentistry school training places in underserved areas and cutting red tape to allow qualified dentists to practise."