Tooth decay forced 325 patients to A&E at Surrey & Sussex NHS Trust last year

325 people were forced to attend A&E at Surrey & Sussex NHS Trust last year due to dental decay, as patients across the country find it impossible to get an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need one. 

At Surrey & Sussex in 2022/23, 245 patients were seen in A&E with a dental abscess, caused by tooth decay, and 80 with dental caries. Across the country last year, 67,000 patients attended emergency departments with tooth decay. 

The number of patients attending A&E with dental decay speaks to the alarming decline of NHS dentistry. Labour’s analysis of patient survey data suggests that 4.75 million people across England were denied an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years. Figures show millions of people were either told no appointments were available or that the practice they contacted was not taking on new NHS patients.

The inability for patients to access dental healthcare has forced many into A&E departments when their conditions have worsened. Shockingly, tooth decay is now the most common reason for children aged 6-10 to be admitted to hospital. 

A Labour government has pledged to provide an extra 700,000 urgent dentists appointments and reform the NHS dental contract, as part of a package of measures to rescue NHS dentistry.

Labour’s plans to restore NHS dentistry to all who need it include:

• Funding NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments, for patients in need of things like fillings and root canal.
• Incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, to tackle the emergence of ‘dental deserts’ where no NHS dentists are taking on new patients
• Supervised tooth brushing in schools for 3-5 year olds, targeted at the areas with highest childhood tooth decay
• Reform the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run, so NHS dentistry is there for all who need it

The plans will cost £111 million a year in total and be funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status, which allows people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate, Peter Lamb said; “Too many Crawley people can’t get a dental appointment when they need one that all too often results severe pain and a trip to A&E. Crawley deserves so much better – that’s why Labour will get NHS dentistry back on its feet.

“325 patients having to go to A&E locally is not only a failure, it is expensive and takes up precious A&E resources locally. People are in pain and at the end of their tether when they do this and all because they cannot get an NHS appointment when they need it.

“Only Labour will rescue NHS dentistry from this Tory driven crisis, so that people can get the treatment they need when they need it.”

Wes Streeting, Shadow Health Secretary said: “Across the country, millions of people are being denied an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need it – patents are being forced into A&E with tooth decay, because they have nowhere else to turn. “Labour has a plan for NHS dentistry. We will provide 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need and recruit more dentists to areas with the worst shortages.”