“Dental deserts” are affecting Disabled people across England after more than 2,000 dentists have given up their practices in the past year.
NHS dentistry has long been in crisis as practices have gone private in recent years.
The number of dentists providing NHS care in England fell from 23,733 at the end of 2020 to 21,544 at the end of January this year, according to the latest NHS figures, which have been obtained by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) under freedom of information laws.
The loss of two thousand dentists have left around four million people without access to dental care with some areas seeing three year waiting lists for appointments.
Healthwatch England’s National Director Louise Ansari said: “People are struggling to get the dental treatment they need when they need it. This is a hugely worrying issue. Some dental practices have either shut down or have gone fully private, with some dentists having used up their total NHS capacity and are asking people for private fees instead”, adding that Disabled people and care home residents are the worst affected.