Tories fail to act on Dentist Crisis

Shocking new figures have revealed that nearly 1,000 dentists across England have left the profession in the past year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to do more to stop the decline in dentist numbers - and help people across the country access an NHS dentist.Lib Dem leader Ed Davey MP raised the issue directly with the Government minister in January. Ed said: "The lack of NHS dentists across England is a real crisis. The Conservatives talk a good game on the NHS, but leaving so many people without access to a dentist shows just how little they really care about the nation's health."

Official figures show there were 23,733 dental practitioners in 2021 - 951 fewer than the previous year, leaving more patients struggling to get the dental care they need. In Wiltshire numbers fell from 446 to 405, a drop of 41 fewer dentists in March 2021 compared to March 2020, a fall of 9%.

Lib Dem Ellen Nicholson added: "I know many people here in *Wiltshire who are struggling to get registered with an NHS dentist. This situation is only going to get worse - unless urgent action is taking to encourage more people to take up the profession."