A&Es struggle to cope with rising demand of emergency dental care
TENS of thousands of people are turning up at A&Es each year with toothache and other dental complaints, costing the NHS millions.
More than 77,000 people turned up at hospital and minor injury services in 2019/20 with dental problem, figures obtained by The News show.
And with not all NHS bodies responding to our Freedom of Information requests, health experts say they fear the real cost will be higher.
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust was among those unable to provide full details for the year. However, in the last quarter – between January 1 and March 31, 212 people turned up to A&E with dental problems, costing the NHS £35,616.
Common complaints included toothache, cavities and gum disease. Last month The News revealed how Portsmouth labourer Chris Savage ripped out his own teeth to cope with the pain.
The British Dental Association said in almost all cases, patients were unlikely to get anything more than pain relief and would be referred to a dentist, meaning this route offered people little help while lumbering the NHS with extra costs.
Dave Cottam, chairman of its General Dental Practice committee, said: ‘Millions have struggled to secure an NHS dental appointment, and those that do find themselves clobbered with inflation-busting hikes in charges. Covid has simply upped the ante.’
A spokesperson for NHS England disputed the claim, saying: ‘Nearly 25,000 dentists are offering NHS care – the highest number on record – and during the first wave of the pandemic, over 600 urgent dental centres were set up so patients could access the care they needed.’