Nearly one in five young adults are leaving the UK to have dental care amid soaring prices for treatment, a survey has revealed.
The poll by the General Dental Council (GDC) found that 18 per cent of people aged 18-34 had sought care outside the UK last year.
The figures come as dentists warn of a growing number of Britons who require dental care on the NHS after travelling to Turkey for cheap cosmetic treatment.
One in 20 adults of all ages sought dental care outside of the UK in the last year, according to the poll, while a fifth of those surveyed said they had tried to book an appointment in the past year and been unable to do so.
Among those who had not accessed care in the last 12 months, some 31 per cent said they had not gone because of the cost.
People reported getting dental care in nearly 30 different countries, including France and India.
Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy at the GDC, said the findings showed that dental care had "not only stalled but may have gone into reverse" since the Covid pandemic.
"That has worrying implications for the oral health of patients and the public, which need urgent attention," he said.
Responding to the survey British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: “Cost-of-living and access crises have converged, leaving millions with no options.
“Some are heading abroad for needed care, but many more are simply going without.
“The public aren’t seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for NHS dentistry. It will take bold and ambitious action to save it.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to reform the NHS dentist contract, which has been blamed for causing an exodus of NHS dentists and so-called dental deserts, where patients struggle to find care close to where they live.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is unacceptable that so many people struggle to simply get a dental appointment, and this research lays bare the scale of the situation. There are large parts of the country where NHS dentistry barely exists any more.
“We will rebuild NHS dentistry, starting with an extra 700,000 emergency dentistry appointments. We will also reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.
“Prevention is better than cure, so we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds. These changes are fundamental to us building an NHS that is fit for the future.”
