Brighton facing 'dental timebomb' according to new survey

Men wait an average of five years between check-ups while women wait an average three years, with 40 per cent of adults not going until they have an issue.

The survey asked 5,000 people how often they have check-ups and their reasons for not going.

The most common reasons for people not going were shortages of NHS dentists and the fear of being hit with a massive bill at the end.

• READ MORE: 'NHS dentistry is in crisis' - this is why you might be struggling to get an appointment

Private dentist Rhona Eskander said: “Sussex 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 Sussex 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.

Sussex has 478 NHS dentists serving a population of more than 1.4 million (Image: Dental Phobia)

“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.”

Sussex has 478 NHS dentists serving a population of more than 1.4 million - or one NHS dentist for 2,965 residents.

Brighton and Hove is best served for NHS dentists in Sussex with 36.

Dentist numbers in Sussex (Image: Dental Phobia)

Figures for other towns include Lewes which has five NHS dentists, Eastbourne which has 15 and Hastings which has eight, according to NHS dentist finder.

The Department for Health and Social Care said recent GP patient surveys showed over 75 per cent of patients who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years were successful.

A spokeswoman said: “Improving access to primary care is one of the Health and Social Care Secretary’s key priorities.

“The number of dentists practising in the NHS increased by over 500 last year and we are continuing work to improve access to dental care for all NHS patients – backed by more than £3 billion annually.

• READ MORE: One in five patients wait for more than two weeks to get an appointment with a GP

“We have already started to make changes to the dental contract to incentivise dentists, paying more for complex work and enabling those with capacity to treat more patients, with further improvements to come.”

Dental Phobia, which is a website set up to help people who fear going to the dentist, set up panels throughout the UK including in Sussex 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 East Sussex over the last five years.

To find out more about where NHS dentists are in your area, click here (DentalPhobia.co.uk).