Around 28,000 new patients will be offered NHS appointments at dental practices in Swansea Bay by April, 2023. The hope is that it will help tackle the huge backlog in patients waiting to get an NHS dental appointment, following reports of people pulling their own teeth out in desperation.
It comes as the proportion of people who go to an NHS dentist has plummeted over the past few years. Across the UK, a poll showed that fewer than one in three adults had seen an NHS dentist in parts of England in the last two years.
In a report published by Swansea Bay Community Health Council, one patient said: “I moved to Swansea during the pandemic. I have called every dentist in the area to see if they are taking on NHS (patients) but have not had any luck for the past year and a half.” Another patient said: “Since Covid started, I cannot get any dentist. A dentist was supposed to phone me when they had a vacancy. Two teeth I pulled out myself.” You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
