Experts in the North East of England have stated that there is now a "whole new generation of people who have never been to a dentist".
Talking on The Northern Agenda podcast, Jennifer Owen, a dentist in Gateshead and chair of the Gateshead and South Tyneside Local Dental Committee, said, “We have had a global pandemic that's had a huge, huge impact on our industry, for many reasons.
“But if nothing else, the lack of access to dentists for such a period of time has basically spawned a whole new generation of people who have never been to a dentist, have no experience of seeing a dentist, that routine regular care is now not part of their life.
"Dentists haven't been going into schools, they haven't been engaging with health visitors and midwives and starting those patterns from a young age. And that, as a generation grows up, will have a huge, profound effect."
Rob Parsons, the host, also spoke to Annie Gouk, The North in Numbers podcast host and reporter. Examining NHS data from 2021 to 2022, she said, “There's a really stark regional divide when it comes to demand for NHS dental services.
“Just to pull out the most extreme examples from either end. Somewhere like South Tyneside in the Northeast, the rate of these procedures linked to tooth decay is nearly four times as high as Richmond upon Thames in London.”
Annie added, “These are NHS statistics, so somewhere like Richmond upon Thames might have a greater prevalence of people using private dental services rather than NHS. But as I say, these statistics are an indicator, and they do indicate that there is a very stark regional divide.”
Earlier in July, the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) announced a £3 million for the region’s dental services. It hopes that the additional appointments generated by the funding will “protect services and address inequality in deprived communities.”
Mary Foy, MP for the City of Durham, told Rob that constituents are regularly contacting her regarding access to dental care.
Mary said, "They either can't get a dentist because their dental practice is reducing their NHS provision, or they've just fallen off the records of their dentist, they've moved to the area, or maybe they've just had children and trying to get a place for their children and just can't because NHS dentists are seeing fewer and fewer patients.
"So really, some of the stories they've told me are really very serious, and some people have been driven in utter despair to perform Dickensian DIY dentistry, removing their teeth with pliers, or ordering do-it-yourself filling kits from Amazon."
Access issues are not just limited to the North East. Examining the political climate, Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, told the podcast, "On a daily basis, we're hearing colleagues saying that they can't continue. And unless that urgency is reflected in Westminster, with significant changes, so that my colleagues can see there is a determination to improve working conditions so that they can deliver the care they want to their patients, I really worry.
"It's probably the most worrying time of my career that I will see my grandchildren and then their children after them not having an NHS dental service in the future."