Over 700 patients in Peterborough area attend hospital with tooth decay amid struggles to get dental appointments
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes has made fixing ‘broken dental systems’ as one of his biggest priorities.
Over 700 patients have been diagnosed with issues attributed to tooth decay in North West Anglia hospitals over the past three years, a new investigation has revealed.
Figures obtained by Public Interest Lawyers show that 714 patients had a diagnosis of tooth decay during their spell at these hospitals since 2021.
All patients visited one of the trust’s hospital sites, Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital or Stamford and Rutland Hospital.
The stats come amidst struggles for patients in Peterborough to visit NHS dentists.
Those suffering from dental problems should be treated at their local dentist with regular appointments to avoid severe situations, yet with many dentists not taking on new patients.
According to the BBC and the British Dental Association (BDA), 90% of dentists across the UK are not taking on new NHS adult patients, and many refuse to see a child unless a parent is signed up as a private patient.
In 2021/22, the number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay in North West Anglia hospitals stood at 199, the lowest total in the past three years.
A year later, this number increased to 281, which is the highest number of patients diagnosed with tooth decay over the three-year period.
The past year has seen a decrease in patients diagnosed with tooth decay and related issues, standing at 234 yet this is still 17.5% higher than two years ago.
Tooth decay is the biggest primary cause of NHS hospital admissions for children in England aged between 5 and 17, as 40% of children no longer have access to regular dental appointments.
Between April 2022 and May 2023, 30,000 children and more than 70,000 adults in England were admitted to A&E with tooth decay.
Peterborough is one of the places in the UK now considered to be ‘dental deserts’, where 100% of dentists are not taking on new patients.
Figures were also obtained as to how many patients in North West Anglia hospitals diagnosed with tooth decay or dental issues were aged between 5 and 17.
In 2021/22, there were 30 patients aged 5-17 before this figure rose to 41 a year later.
The number of under-18 patients stayed around the same mark in 2023/24, with the total being 40.
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: “These latest figures are another shocking indictment of the way the Conservatives ran down our NHS. My heart goes out to everyone suffering or struggling to get a dental appointment.
“I have already met with the Minister and fixing our broken NHS dental systems remains one of my biggest priorities.”