Dentist. Shutterstock
Healthwatch Cumbria needs to hear from people in Copeland who are not registered with an NHS dentist as a shortfall of thousands is reported in the area.
The dental practice in Cleator Moor closed in 2016 and, since then, only about 70 per cent of its NHS patients have been provided for – at practices between four and 30 miles away. Even now there is still a shortfall of thousands of NHS dental places in the area.
Copeland has significantly higher rates of tooth decay in small children than the rest of the country and the lack of NHS dental care in the area also creates issues for those who are unable to travel or have special dental needs.
EMERGENCY: Dental issues were reported to emergency departments HUNDREDS of people a year have been attending A&E for common dental problems including toothache. Figures obtained by the Westmorland Gazette found that patients had been admitted to emergency wards in the region to receive care for dental issues. Toothache was the most commonly occurring dental-related admission, while many other patients have reported broken or loose teeth. According to figures released under freedom of information laws, people visited A&E at Furness General Hospital 519 times to receive treatment for dental issues since 2016. The figure had been rising steadily each year until a small drop last year during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.