Gideon Amos calls for an end to 'dental deserts'

More than 64,000 children in Somerset were not seen by an NHS dentist in the past year, House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, has revealed.

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has called for an end to ‘dental deserts’ saying that the figures were a ‘damning indictment’ of Conservative party’s legacy of running local health services into the ground.

The research from the House of Commons Library, estimates the number of children who weren’t seen by an NHS dentist in the year to March 2024, based on the latest data from the health service.

It also revealed the proportion of children not seen by an NHS dentist in Somerset. For the previous year, a staggering 57.66% of children had not been seen by an NHS 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. Tooth decay is also the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 6-10.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry, including spending any funding that has gone unspent in recent years to boost the number of appointments as well as the removal of VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Mr Amos said: “My Taunton and Wellington dental survey in 2022 showed that over half no longer had an NHS dentist. 

"Since then, the picture has got worse and worse, Somerset has become a dental desert where it is no longer possible to register with an NHS dentist – one of the worst hit areas of the country. 

"As a result, people like pregnant mums are writing to me - they are entitled to free dental treatment but, like children, are unable to get it.

"If we brought back the school dentist and treatment of children early, it would save the NHS millions.

"Everyone knows how important it is to see a dentist when you need one but, far too often, that is proving impossible.

“The Conservative party’s disastrous legacy on the NHS cannot be understated. 

"The new government must make fixing local health services, like dentistry here in Taunton and Wellington, a top priority after the Conservatives ran them into the ground."

“The only way we will rescue dentistry in our area is by the government investing in local health services at the Budget and bringing an end to dental deserts so that every child in Taunton and Wellington can see a dentist when they need to.”