Just 38 per cent of Southwark children have seen a dentist in the last twelve months, even though their teeth should be checked at least once a year, data has revealed.
The number of Southwark adults securing dentist appointments has also plummeted in recent years, according to statistics uncovered by the Southwark Liberal Democrat Group.
The information request reveals that only 34 per cent of adult patients have seen a dentist in the last two years, down from 46.2 per cent in 2018.
Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrat Group, said: “Far too many people in Southwark are struggling to see an NHS dentist and get the affordable dental healthcare they need.
“We’ve reached a breaking point in this crisis. NHS dentist appointments are becoming harder to get than ever and some practices are shutting their doors to NHS patients altogether, but the government is missing in action.
“As the cost of living catastrophe continues to hit households hard, private dentistry is not a feasible alternative for the many people living in pain.”
The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to set out an NHS winter rescue plan to help those in dental agony.
They say this should include immediate action to reduce “dangerously long” ambulance waiting times and speed up healthcare access for the almost seven million people stuck on NHS waiting lists.
Recent polling also found that one in five (21 per cent) adults unable to see a dentist have carried out DIY dentistry in a desperate attempt to relieve their pain.
In June, a member of staff at Linden Grove Dental Care, Peckham, told the News she’d heard about people buying online kits to self-administer fillings.
Louise Ansari, national director at Healthwatch England, said DIY treatments “risk long-term complications” and “children, the disabled and the vulnerable are most at-risk”.
Cllr Chamberlain said: “It’s a national scandal that people in our community are desperately turning to dangerous DIY dentistry because our public health services have been run into the ground by this Conservative government.
“The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to fund an NHS winter rescue package to improve access to NHS dental appointments, reduce ambulance waiting times and speed up treatment for those who need it.”