Rise in mouth cancer deaths linked to NHS dentist shortages, say campaigners

The British Dental Association said this year that the number of active NHS dentists in England was at its lowest level in a decade. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

A sharp rise in deaths from mouth cancers over the last decade is linked to a decline in access to NHS dentists, patients and oral health campaigners have said.

More than 3,000 people in England died from mouth cancer in 2021, compared with 2,075 in 2011, according to figures by Oral Health Foundation (ORF) first reported by the BBC, representing an increase of 46%.