Only a quarter of people in Lincolnshire could access an NHS dentist last year
New figures were revealed during a council meeting
New figures show only a quarter of people in Lincolnshire could access an NHS dentist in the second half of last year.
The topic's been discussed at a meeting of the county council's Health Scrutiny board.
It means 3 out of 4 people in the county weren't able to get a dentist on the NHS during the period.
Officials say getting patients the care they need remains a challenge - despite the Government previously saying it's investing in providing more dental services.
Last year, the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire warned that seeing a dentist was becoming a “rich man’s game” as more and more people were forced to look at private alternatives to the usual NHS offering.
Four dentists in the county reduced NHS patient provision
It is a challenge the ICB has still recognised as a “priority,” but their task is not made easier by dentistry closures across Lincolnshire.
In the last year, there have been four contract terminations from NHS dentists in Lincolnshire.
They were in North Somercotes, Market Deeping, Boston and Stamford; with two of the cases due to retirement, and two others due to dentists moving into the private sector.
There were also further reductions to contract activity levels at four dental practices in Lincolnshire across the last 12 months, with providers citing challenges maintaining a sufficient dental workforce to deliver NHS care.
These changes over the past year have left Lincolnshire with just 51 NHS dental practices, and they are broken down by local authority below:
Lincoln — 11
East Lindsey — 11
South Kesteven — 10
West Lindsey — 5
Boston — 5
South Holland — 5
North Kesteven — 4