Dewsbury’s ‘dental timebomb’ as patients delay dentist check-ups by up to FIVE YEARS

The results are from a survey of 5,000 people by Dental Phobia - a website set up to help the millions in the UK who fear going to the dentist.

West Yorkshire has 653 NHS dentists serving a population of 2,325,000 - or one NHS dentist for 3,560 residents - and Dewsbury has 13 NHS dentists, according to the NHS dentist finder.

The findings show the average gap between children having dental appointments in the town has gone over a year for the first time and now stands at 15 months.

Men wait an average of five years between check-ups and 45 per cent don’t go to the dentist at all unless they have a problem.

Women wait an average of three years between check-ups and 35 per cent only go if they have an issue.

The cost of living crisis is a key factor in patients putting off going to the dentist - with the fear of the bill they get at the end being greater than the fear of the needle.

Shortage of NHS dentists is a second factor in patients delaying appointments with people neglecting their teeth because they cannot find cost effective treatment.

Dentist Rhona Eskander, a world leader in dental care, said: “Dewsbury is facing a dental timebomb if patients don’t get back into the habit of seeking regular check-ups.

“What is most worrying is that the cost of living crisis is forcing some parents to cut corners with their children’s teeth.

“Regular dental appointments are easy to put off and lots of people in West Yorkshire got out of the habit of going to the dentist during Covid and have not returned.

“Patients end up losing their teeth because small cavities which could be fixed inexpensively when they first develop grow quickly without treatment.

“And more serious conditions such as the early signs of oral cancer - particularly important for patients who smoke and drink regularly - are often first spotted by dentists.

“One of the most common signs of head and neck cancer is an ulcer which develops in the mouth and does not heal within 14 days. Caught early, survival rates are good but they drop rapidly.”

Dental Phobia set up panels throughout the UK, including in West Yorkshire, to find where patients were most likely to skip dental check-ups.

It found that the gap between dental check-ups had risen by 20 per cent in West Yorkshire over the last five years.

Two-thirds of patients, 67 per cent, said their biggest worry prior to an appointment was the bill they receive at the end of it.

This compares to the 53 per cent of patients who fear going to the dentist largely because of the pain and the needles used for anaesthetics prior to treatment.

Just under half of patients, 46 per cent, said a shortage of NHS dentists had put them off seeking treatment because they were worried a private dentist would be too expensive.