Figures show drop in visits to dentists across Fylde and Wyre following pandemic

Figures from NHS Digital show 90,241 adults were seen by a dentist in NHS Fylde and Wyre CCG in the two years to the end of June, the recommended longest period for check-ups.

This was three per cent fewer than had been seen in the two years to the end of March, around the time most dentists closed due to lockdown.

The NHS figures show fewer under-18s are also being seen by Fylde and Wyre dentists than normal.

By the end of June, 21,444 children had been seen in the past year – down from 23,279 seen by the end of March.

The British Dental Association warned the latest statistics do not fully show the “unprecedented fall in access” driven by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It said Freedom of Information requests showed access to the urgent dental care network was just over two per cent of the normal level, and recent surveys suggest most practices are still operating at less than a quarter of their former capacity.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Children’s oral health in England is among the best in the world, and in the last year more than 7 million children have been seen by a dentist, with more than three quarters having no decayed, missing or filled teeth by the age of five.

“Twenty-one million adults were seen by a dentist in the last two years up to June and we are working closely with NHS England to improve access across the country.”