Hull Labour MP hits out at lack of NHS dentists
Hull East MP Karl Turner said some people are performing DIY tooth removals in their homes.
Hull East MP Karl Turner said his constituents are struggling to access NHS dentists, forcing some to go into A&E with tooth decay.
He said: "I have constituents constantly in my surgeries begging and pleading for NHS dentistry. I'm one of the few fortunate people probably in East Hull who have an NHS dentist."
According to a Labour analysis, 395 people had to attend A&E in Hull last year due to dental decay. Labour say they will provide 700,000 more dentist appointments a year.
Karl Turner said: "I've knocked on doors in East Hull and people have said they've been awake all night with their kids, I've managed somehow to get those children referred immediately to an NHS dentist, but that's through going through their MP.
"If people are in the situation where they've got to go to their MP so that the MP can beg and plead on their behalf for an NHS dentist to see their kid we're in a terrible state of affairs."
Karl Turner also claimed that some people have taken matters into their own hands and performed DIY teeth removals in their own homes.
Data from the GP Patient survey shows 22.7% of patients who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years were unsuccessful.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it's investing more than £3bn a year in NHS dentistry and is incentivising dentists to provide NHS care. It said 1.7 million more adults were seen in the 23 months up to 30 June 2023, a 10% increase compared to the previous year.