The proportion of adults seen by NHS dentists over the past two years remains below pre-pandemic levels, new figures show.

Figures from the NHS show 90,236 adults were seen by an NHS dentist in Brighton and Hove in the two years leading to the end of June this year - amounting to 37 per cent of the city’s adult population.

Although the number is up from 33 per cent from 2020/22, it remains below the rate before the pandemic, when 44 per cent were seen between 2017/19.

Nationally, 18.1 million adults were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June 30 this year - up from 16.4 million in 2020/22 but below the 22 million seen in 2017/19.

The figures come as the British Dental Association (BDA) calls for “radical and urgent change” to help NHS dentistry recover from the impact of the pandemic.

BDA chairman Eddie Crouch said: “We’re seeing the limits on the recovery and this government’s ambition.

“Demoralised dentists are walking away from a broken system, while millions struggle to access the care they need.

“NHS dentistry can come back from the brink, but only if ministers turn the page.”

The BDA dismissed the government’s changes to the NHS dentistry contract at the start of the current financial year as “minor tweaks”.

An NHS spokesman said the figures show significant recovery in dental treatment for children since the pandemic with 6.4 million seen in the year to June 2023.

In Brighton and Hove, 28,163 children were seen in the past year - covering 56 per cent of under-18s in the city. The rate is up from 53 per cent in 2021/22, but below 63 per cent in 2018/19.

Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said the new data backs up its claims “that people in every corner of England are struggling to get the dental treatment they need when they need it”.

She said: “NHS dentistry continues to be the second most common issue people report to Healthwatch, with many living in pain while some turn to private care. However, private treatment is not an option for everyone, with reports suggesting people from the most deprived communities struggle the most to access dental care.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are making progress to boost NHS dental services with 23 per cent more courses of treatment, meaning 1.7 million more adults and 800,000 more children received NHS dental care.

“We fund more than £3 billion of NHS dentistry a year, have announced plans to increase dental training places by 40 per cent and have launched a consultation to better utilise the skills of dental hygienists and therapists.”