One in four older people fear they will have to do DIY dentistry

Most of the public think they will have to pay for private dental care as appointments become harder to find, according to polling. More than 47 million NHS dental appointments have been lost since lockdown in England alone.

British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: “DIY dentistry has no place in a wealthy 21st century nation. Sadly, choices made in Westminster have left ­millions with no options.Demoralised dentists are walking away from a broken underfunded system.

“Rishi Sunak pledged to restore NHS dentistry.

“That slogan will ring ­hollow as long as desperate people find themselves reaching for pliers.” Polling for the Liberal Democrats found 28 per cent of those aged over 65 said they ­
are likely to turn to DIY ­dentistry due to a lack of NHS appointments.

And 67 per cent say they would pay for private dental care, said the study carried out by Savanta ComRes.

LibDem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “This is a national scandal.

“Hard-working people are paying their fair share to fund our treasured NHS, yet the Government has failed to provide resources.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Dentists practising in the NHS rose by over 500 last year.”

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