The Guardian reports that the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has published a report highlighting that “dental deserts” are emerging across England after more than 2,000 dentists quit the NHS last year, leaving millions of people struggling to get check-ups or have toothaches fixed

The exodus is exacerbating a crisis that has seen patients battle to get dental treatment because so few dental surgeries will see them as NHS patients.

The ADG’s report says that, as a result of the decline in NHS dentists, there are now areas where “there is almost no chance of ever seeing an NHS dentist for routine care.” Reports suggest the deserts are particularly concentrated in rural and coastal areas where practices increasingly rely on private work to stay open.

The ADG has warned that the decline in access to dental check-ups raises the prospect of “a looming health crisis” in which cases of mouth cancer and type 2 diabetes get missed rather than being picked up by a dentist.

The group has urged ministers to tackle the growing shortage of NHS dentists by taking action including increasing the number of training places for dentists in the UK.

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The Guardian - ‘Dental deserts’ form in England as dentists quit NHS, experts warn