NHS dental attendance figures published in February show that over two-thirds of children (70.2%) in England did not see an NHS dentist in the 12 months to 31 December 2020.1 The number of children admitted to hospital for tooth decay may rise, if access does not improve this year.
In 2019, over six in ten children under 16 saw a dentist; in 2020, it was less than three in ten.
Mr Matthew Garrett, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, commented: 'While it is not surprising the number of children who saw an NHS dentist dropped so dramatically in 2020, we must improve access this year to avoid long-term damage to children's teeth'.
Reference
NHS Digital. NHS Dental Statistics for England 2020-2021, Biannual Report. 25 February 2021. Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics/2020-21-biannual-report (accessed 1 March 2021).
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Two-thirds of children did not see an NHS dentist last year. BDJ Team 8, 4 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41407-021-0562-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41407-021-0562-7
