UK NEWS

Nine out of ten NHS dental practices in England closed to new routine patients

The British Dental Association has urged ministers to “wake up” to the crisis facing NHS dentistry
The British Dental Association has urged ministers to “wake up” to the crisis facing NHS dentistry
ALAMY

Two years ago, Ryan Herrmann lost a filling. He has been unable to get it fixed, and now lives with chronic toothache.

“When you get a headache you can take painkillers. But tooth pain sends you mad. You feel irritable, can’t relax and are constantly on edge,” he said.

Herrmann, 50, from Wiltshire, is one of millions of people struggling to access dental care. Almost 90 per cent of dentists in England are closed to new patients wanting check-ups, new analysis by The Times reveals.

More than 50 per cent of council areas in England — home to 9.4 million people — have no dentists listed on the NHS website as taking on new adult patients for routine treatment. Just under 33 per cent have