TWO out of five Somerset children haven’t seen an NHS dentist in the last 12 months, according to figures.

The figures also reveal similar levels of adults haven’t seen an NHS dentist in the last two years.

NHS England has said the problem is a national one, with work being done on both recruiting and retaining dentists, as well as providing preventative advice and support to the public to reduce demand.

Calls for a public waiting list similar to those operating in Devon and Cornwall have been rebuffed, with health officials believing they will not be an effective solution to the problem.

A report on Somerset’s dental performance came before the county council’s adults and health scrutiny committee in Taunton on Wednesday (May 8).

Studies by Public Health England have shown that the oral health of Somerset children is improving faster than the national average.

The proportion of Somerset children with decayed, milling or filled teeth has declined from 23 per cent in 2011/12 to 19 per cent in 2016/17 (the most recent figures available) – which is faster than the average for England.

But when it comes to actually seeing an NHS dentist on a regular basis, the figures are fare less rosy – despite the NHS claiming there had been “a steady rise” in patients being seen since dental contracts were reformed in 2006.

Across Somerset, 59.9 per cent of children have seen an NHS dentist at least once in the last 12 months – meaning four in every ten have not been able to secure such an appointment.

The former Taunton Deane district performs best in this regard (with 62.4 per cent of children being seen), while Sedgemoor is the worst (55.4 per cent).

Among adults the picture is worse, with 57.98 per cent being seen at least once every two years – meaning four in ten cannot secure such appointments.

Again, there is local variation, with the former West Somerset area performing well (with 69.3 per cent of adults being seen) and Sedgemoor languishing at the bottom (51.6 per cent).

Emily Hutt, from the council’s public health team, said in her written report to the committee: “The demand for services exceeds the available workforce and capacity of practices to take on new patients.

“NHS places continue to be made available, but there continues to be growing demand which NHS services are not currently able to meet.

“Work is underway at a national level to identify solutions to the recruitment and retention pressures in NHS dental services, and to understand and address the constraints of the current national NHS dental contracts.

“We recognise the issue with access to an NHS dentist. We are working to support the population of Somerset to access preventive advice and support.”

Councillor Mark Healey criticised the low levels of coverage in Somerset, claiming he had spent £1,700 on his last bill with a private dentist because he couldn’t get treated by an NHS practitioner.

He said: “Dentists don’t go to the bright lights and the big city for training opportunities – let’s be honest, they go for the money.

“I pay my national insurance like everyone else does in this room, and I have a dentist with an ocean-going yacht. I’ve tried to get an NHS dentist and have failed repeatedly.

“We need to change the scene nationally. It’s not impossible – we’ve just had elections.

“I think oral health is a serious matter. There’s people now walking the streets of Somerset who can’t afford to go to the dentist, and are walking around with big problems.”

Tessa Fielding, dental contracts manager for NHS England, said some patients would always choose to be treated privately even in areas where NHS places were plentiful.

She said: “We need to address the needs of the local population.

“We have huge challenges in Devon and Cornwall – they are far bigger than in Somerset. We have a physical waiting list there and it’s not unusual for people to be on those lists for years to see an NHS dentist.”

Alison Bell, from the council’s public health team, said work could be done to map dental access across the county, identifying where demand was highest and where the fewest NHS dentists were operating.

She claims that would be “more effective” than a waiting list, arguing people on the waiting list would “just stay on there” rather than proactively searching for other NHS providers outside of their local area.

The committee agreed to write a joint letter to the NHS’ chief dental officer, laying out their concerns about dental provision in Somerset.