Ed Davey sets out plan to “end dental deserts” as 4.5 million children didn’t see an NHS dentist last year

Embargoed until 22.30 Sunday 26 May 

• Ed Davey announces plan to “end dental deserts”  on visit to Scotland after years of neglect by Conservative and SNP governments

• Liberal Democrat Leader to unveil manifesto policy to give free dental check ups to children and young mothers on NHS

• Figures reveal 4.5 million children in England didn’t see a NHS dentist last year 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today announce a plan to “end dental deserts,” including an emergency scheme to guarantee children and young mothers free dental check ups on the NHS.

Analysis by the party shows that a shocking 4.5 million children in England didn’t see an NHS dentist last year. Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between 6 and 10 years, with over 100,000 children admitted to hospital with rotting teeth since 2018.

On a visit to Scotland, Ed Davey and Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will announce plans to reform dentistry across the UK, where they will be officially launching the party’s Scottish General Election campaign.

The Liberal Democrats warned that parts of the country are turning into dental deserts with thousands of children and adults not seen by an NHS dentist. In Norfolk 55% of children had not seen an NHS dentist in the past year, or 101,675, the highest proportion in the country. In Gloucestershire and Surrey two thirds of adults had not seen an NHS dentist in the past two years.

The Liberal Democrats’ plan to end dental deserts would include introducing an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups in England and Wales for those already eligible: children, young mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes. The party would also bring dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by fixing the broken NHS dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs.

In Scotland, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced their own plans to overhaul the SNP’s Recovery Plan which barely mentions dentists, as well as boost the number of NHS dentists with a workforce plan. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

 “It is a national scandal that children’s teeth are left to rot and people are forced to carry out their own dental work. 

“It is time to end dental deserts after years of neglect by Conservative and SNP governments.

“In Westminster, the Conservative party has shown complete disregard for dental services, whilst the SNP record on the NHS continues to be shameful. 

“Today the Liberal Democrats are setting out a plan to bring back local NHS dentists across the UK, starting with ensuring free dental check ups for children and young mothers.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"People are resorting to DIY dentistry and buying tools off Amazon to do the job themselves because they can't get an NHS dentist. Some Ukrainians have even travelled back to Kyiv for dental care because the air raid sirens, drone strikes and cruise missiles are less daunting than the waits in Scotland's NHS.

"The SNP promised to scrap dental charges, but instead they have introduced new charges and doubled the price of some procedures. Dentists are being driven away from the NHS because working with this SNP Government is harder than pulling teeth.

"No matter how much pain you are in, seeing an NHS dentist in Scotland is harder than ever before. It's a stark reminder of how the SNP make empty promises and can't get the basics right. 

"People have had enough and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are on the side of everyone tired of SNP neglect."

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Research commissioned from the House of Commons Library estimates the number of children who weren’t seen by an NHS dentist in the year to June 2023, based on the latest data from the NHS. The research can be found here. 

A Liberal Democrat Freedom of Information request has found that there have been 218,005 admissions to hospital for rotting teeth, including more than 100,000 child admissions, since 2018. Research available here.