NHS Dentistry in Halton update report

Summary

Finding a local NHS dental practice which is taking on patients has been the most issue we've been asked about during the past 12 months. 

In September and October 2022 we heard from more than 100 people about their experiences of accessing dental services locally.

For most of the past 12 to 18 months there have been no dentists in Halton taking on new adult NHS patients and only a few accepting new child patients.

For many, the only option is to sign up with a dental practice as a private patient, which for most is not an affordable option. This has led to many people forgoing regular checks or in a few cases carrying out self-treatment!

In this report we present findings from the our latest dental update survey, highlight some of the issues facing people locally who are trying to access dental care, and suggest what could be done to improve the current situation.

Dental Facts and Figures

• 38% of people taking part in our survey told us they had been unable to get any NHS dental treatment in the past 2 years
• 34% said they were dissatisfied with the cost of treatment
• 40% said the cost of treatment put them off seeing the dentist
• 71% of people who got to see a dentist were satisfied with their treatment
• According to data from NHS Digital, just over a third of Halton adults (37.5%) saw an NHS dentist in the past 2 years. This is lower than elsewhere in the country and lower than every other area in Cheshire & Merseyside other than Liverpool
• Less than half of Halton children (42.2%) saw an NHS dentist last year. This is lower than every other area in Cheshire & Merseyside
• Halton has a lower number of dentists per 100,000 population than any other part of Cheshire and Merseyside.