Nine in 10 NHS dental practices are unable to offer appointments to new adult patients, the 'most extensive survey of patient access ever undertaken' has found. Some 98 per cent of dentists in the North West are not accepting adult patients, while 83 per cent are not accepting child patients in the region.
The North West, South West and Yorkshire and the Humber are the worst affected, all reporting 98 per cent not accepting adults.
In a third of the UK's more than 200 council areas, the BBC's survey found no dentists taking on adult NHS patients, and eight in 10 NHS practices are not taking on children. The Department of Health said it had made an extra £50m available "to help bust the Covid backlogs" and that improving NHS access was a priority.
