People are turning to 'DIY dentistry' after failing to get NHS appointments
A number have admitted to pulling out their own teeth and repairing their own fillings
A new poll has revealed that a number of people have been turning to 'DIY dentistry' after finding themselves unable to get NHS dental appointments.
This research, conducted on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, found that 23% of 2234 adults polled said they have tried and failed to access NHS dental care in the last 12 months.
A further 40% said they hadn't tried to get an appointment and just over a third (36%) told the survey they had been seen by an NHS dentist.
READ MORE: Major survey finds Dentists unable to offer appointments to new patients
Among the 533 people who could not get an appointment however, 21% said they had conducted "DIY dentistry".
For some, this has involved using filling kit from a pharmacy and in extreme cases, people claimed they had pulled out their own teeth.
This inability to get an NHS appointment also reportedly drove 27% of this group to pay for private dental care.
Last month it was revealed that 91% of NHS practices in the UK on average were not accepting new adult patients.
This was found to be as high as 98% in the South West, North West and Yorkshire,
Daisy Cooper, health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said: "It is now or never to save our NHS from a winter of crisis that will put patients at risk.
"This heart-breaking rise in DIY dentistry is further evidence that this Government simply doesn't care about our vital local health services.
"It is a national scandal that people are forced to pull their own teeth out because our public health services have been starved of funding."
Commenting on the poll, British Dental Association chairman Eddie Crouch said: "DIY dentistry has no place in a wealthy, 21st century nation but today millions have no options, and some are taking matters into their own hands.
"These access problems are not inevitable. This horror show is the direct result of choices made in Westminster.
"We've heard promises of change, but any progress requires action on a decade of underfunding and failed contracts."
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