Over 100 queue from 2.30am to register with new dentist

More than 100 people queued from 2.30am to register with an NHS dentist in 'desperate scenes' that illustrate the dental crisis engulfing the country.

The British Dental Association last night claimed NHS dentistry has 'effectively ceased to exist' for new patients, with many no longer able to secure appointments.

Photos of the queues in Warrington, Cheshire, emerged as new figures revealed 96.9 per cent of people who tried to see a new dentist in England last month were unable to do so.

Of those who failed to secure care, 11 per cent said they went private, 1.6 per cent attended A&E and 1.1 per cent visited their GP, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Worryingly, 78.5 per cent said they 'did nothing', which the BDA warns will only lead to 'greater burdens' on the health service if early signs of disease are left unchecked.

The professional body also stressed doctors are neither trained nor equipped to provide dental treatment.

Of those patients who tried to access NHS dentistry but did not have a dentist, 33.5 per cent reported having an urgent need for care, with 21.3 per cent stating they were in pain.

People brought camp chairs to sit on as they waited for hours in the cold outside MyDentist in Westbrook, Warrington, on Monday morning.

A crowd gathered after the practice sent out an email informing local residents that it would be accepting 20 NHS registrations a month on a first come, first served basis.

It stressed people would have to attend on registration day in person.

The message read: 'The practice opens at 9am, however we have patients arrive much sooner than that to register (we usually have a queue, sometimes from as early as 6am).

'As registration is on first come, first served basis, once the first 20 patients have been registered, we cannot register anyone else until the following month.'

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One resident told the Warrington Guardian how she arrived at the practice at 7.45am to be told by a member of the public that people were being sent away from the queue.

She was informed that people had been queuing since 2.30am and that as of 7.30am, there were more than 100 people in the queue despite the practice only being able to take on 20 new patients.

The resident added: 'How is this acceptable? How does MyDentist think this is OK? There were elderly people in the queue!'

Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: 'This is a reminder that for new patients NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist.

'This crisis is piling pressure across our health service, forcing some to go private, while others in agony simply forgo needed care.

'We will keep seeing desperate scenes outside dental practices the length and breadth of this country until we see real reform.'

The ONS 'experiences of NHS healthcare services' survey found 96.9 per cent of patients who did not have a dentist but tried to make an NHS dental appointment in the previous 28 days were unsuccessful.

However, 88.7 per cent of adults with an NHS dentist who attended an NHS dental appointment in the last 28 days, were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with the care they received.

Separately, the Health Service Journal this week reported that people across Devon and Cornwall are often waiting around four years to register with an NHS dentist, according to information collected by an integrated care board for the region.

A spokesperson for MyDentist said: 'Our practice team is doing everything possible to support more patients in getting access to NHS dental care, despite the significant shortage of NHS dentists across the country.

'As such, we are seeing unprecedented demand for the limited new NHS appointments that are available.

'Initially, we felt the fairest way to offer these places was on a first come first served basis.

'However, we are now looking to introduce a waiting list to manage this process and will keep patients updated as soon as that has launched.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government is committed to rebuilding NHS dentistry, but it will take time.

'We will start with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most, and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.

'Prevention is better than cure, so we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds, to prevent so many children ending up in hospital to have their teeth pulled out.'

An NHS England spokesperson said: 'The NHS is determined to get dentistry back on its feet- that's why we're taking steps to improve access, including paying dentists more to see patients who haven't been in over two years, and incentivising dentists to work in underserved areas.

'Although NHS dentists are delivering more courses of treatment compared to last year, there is a lot more to do for our patients and we will be working with the Government to deliver to reform the contract and deliver more appointments.'