New data shows 23,356 children in Stockport not seen by an NHS dentist last year
The danger of Stockport becoming an NHS “dental desert” has been laid bare by House of Commons Library research showing over 23,000 children across the borough didn’t see an NHS dentist last year.
The research by the Liberal Democrats backed the MPs Tom Morrison and Lisa Smart call for an end to dental deserts, and are a “damning indictment” of Conservative party’s legacy of running local health services into the ground.
Over a third of children in the borough (36.44%) were not seen by an NHS Dentist in the last year. 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.
Lisa Smart, the MP for Hazel Grove, said: “I wrote to the former Conservative Health Secretary late last year when the final dentist in Romiley stopped seeing NHS patients. While Labour made all the right noises ahead of forming the new Government, we have yet to see any action.
“Imagine just not being able to find a dentist for your child, and knowing that this could impact them for the rest of their lives? For far too many people in our area, that’s just a reality.
Tom Morrison, MP for Cheadle, added: “The Conservative party’s disastrous legacy on the NHS cannot be understated. The new Government must make fixing dentistry here a top priority after the Conservatives ran them into the ground."
“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 across Stockport can see a dentist when they need to.”