NHS Dentistry is failing our children, says Chichester MP

Latest figures show that nearly half of the children living in West Sussex were not seen by an NHS dentist last year.  
78,384 children in West Sussex were not seen by an NHS dentist in the past year, House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Jess Brown-Fuller, Chichester MP and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Primary Care has called for an end to ‘dental deserts’ saying that these figures were a ‘damning indictment’ of Conservative party’s legacy of running local health services into the ground.

The research from the House of Commons Library, estimates the number of children who weren’t seen by an NHS dentist in the year to March 2024, based on the latest data from the health service.

For the previous year, a staggering 43.8% of children in West Sussex had not been seen by an NHS dentist.

This is despite the NHS recommending that under-18s see a dentist at least once a year because their teeth can decay faster, compared to two years for adults. Tooth decay is also the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6-10.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry, including spending any funding that has gone unspent in recent years to boost the number of appointments as well as the removal of VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.  

“I have heard countless stories of desperate parents who cannot find an NHS dentist anywhere my constituency. Everyone knows how important it is for children to be able to see a dentist when they need to be in our area, far too often that is proving impossible,” said Jess. 

“The only way we will rescue dentistry in our area is by the government investing in local health services at the Budget and bringing an end to dental deserts so that every child in West Sussex can see a dentist when they need to,” she said. 

Jess, who is also the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for hospitals, pointed out that tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged between six and ten.