More than 100,000 children have not been seen by an NHS dentist in Sussex over the past year

The research estimates the number of children who were not seen by an NHS dentist in the 12 months to June 2023, based on the latest data from the health service. For the previous year, a staggering 43% of children had not been seen by a dentist.

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.

In Sussex, 60% of adults have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years. That’s 796,196 of Sussex's adults not seen by an NHS dentist in the past 2 years.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Lewes constituency, James MacCleary, said: “In the general chaos of this government some of their most shocking failures have been overlooked. Local people have been reporting for some time now that they are unable to find an NHS dentist and these new figures reveal the true extent of the issue. As a parent with two young children, I am just appalled to see how many children in our area are being failed.

“This has to act as a wake-up call for the government. A rescue package for British dentistry is urgently needed. That means reforming NHS dentistry to boost the number of appointments along with removing VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste. We must also listen to the dentists themselves who need a proper deal from the government that actually covers the cost of procedures.”