23/06/09 - Shocking numbers needing emergency dental treatment across Peterborough

An alarming number of people across Peterborough need emergency dental treatment in hospital because of a lack of access to NHS dentists, it was revealed today. These urgent admissions are a direct result of patients not having an NHS dentist who is normally able to treat them in an emergency.

·          New figures extracted by the Conservatives show that across the country, 22,000 people had to be admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment last year. These emergency hospital admissions are costing the NHS £13 million a year.

·          In the Peterborough PCT area, 94 people received emergency dental treatment in hospitals, costing the local NHS an estimated £55,986. Most of this has to be borne by already over-stretched A&E departments.

·          This comes as the latest NHS figures show that 41% of the population across Peterborough have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years.

Stewart commented:

“These figures underline once again the Government’s appalling failure on NHS dentistry. 41% of people across Peterborough have been unable to see an NHS dentist. It comes as no surprise that 94 people have been forced to hospital last year for emergency dental care – straining our over-stretched A&E departments still further.

“We need to cut out the waste and bureaucracy in NHS dentistry and restore access to an NHS dentist to the million who have lost one under this Government.”