Grahame Morris told the House of Commons on January 9 that he had consulted the NHS ‘Find a Dentist’ website however, “there is not a single dentist accepting children aged 17 or under in my Easington constituency.”
He added, “Ministers should be ashamed that after they have been in power for 14 years, NHS dentistry is catastrophically failing our children.”
Commenting on adult care, Grahame called the situation “dire”. He said, “There are no dental practices accepting adult patients within a 10-mile radius of my constituency. Within a 15-mile radius, there are only three.”
A 2022 poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats revealed a one in five (21 per cent) people who failed to get an NHS dentist appointment in the past year turned to DIY dentistry.
He then said his 87-year-old mother had turned to pulling her teeth out as a result of “desperation”.
Grahame concluded his statement by calling on the government “to get control of this problem and to deliver for the British public”.