10% Brits have resorted to DIY dentistry

UK: One in 10 people have resorted to DIY dentistry due to poor access to dental care, according to a recent YouGov survey of 2,104 people across Great Britain.

Of those who are unregistered, 37% said they cannot find an NHS dentist to take them on, while another 23% said they are not registered because they cannot afford treatment.

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56% of those who have done DIY dentistry did so within the last two years, including 36% who did so within the last year. Some have attempted procedures such as pulling their own teeth or giving themselves fillings, removed or repaired crowns, filed their broken teeth down, or treated their own abscesses and infections.

Reasons for taking DIY route

The survey showed that one in five of those who attempted a procedure did so because they could not get a timely appointment, with a further 15% saying Covid-related lockdowns prevented them from getting one.

Other reasons were being unregistered, fear of going to the dentist, and an inability to pay for treatment. Furthermore, about one in eight of those surveyed said they currently have no confidence in their ability to afford even routine NHS dental care.

Less than half have seen dentist in last six months

While 46% of all those polled said they have seen a dentist within the last six months, up to 70% for those who have seen one within two years, a quarter have not been for two years or more, including 8% who admit it has been more than a decade since they saw a dentist.

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The British Dental Association chairman, Eddie Crouch, said that the numbers show a dental care service approaching the end of the road.

He called for both government and opposition to develop a clear plan to reform and properly fund NHS dentistry, warning that without it, the obituary of NHS dentistry may soon be written.