Less than half of Rotherham children saw a dentist in 2021 says NHS report

A report to Rotherham Council’s health select commission states that the number of adults and children who saw a dentist in that period was “significantly lower” than pre pandemic levels.

Up to 31st December 2021, 45 per cent of Rotherham’s adults and 43 per cent of children saw an NHS dentist in the previous 24 and 12 months respectively.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, around 60 per cent of Rotherham’s adults and 62 per cent of children had seen an NHS dentist in the previous 24 and 12 months respectively up to 31st December 2019.

The report, by NHS England, adds thart although the figures are “significantly lower” than pre-pandemic levels, they are still “higher than those generally seen nationally”.

The highest levels of experience of tooth decay were clustered around Rotherham Central, and levels were also higher amongst non-white ethnicgroups.

“Rotherham has a significant Roma community, with high levels of poor oral health,” adds the report.

There has also been a ” significant reduction in dental extractions rates” between 2019/2020 and 2021/2022, “reflecting the limited access to hospital lists for dental extractions due to the pandemic, which is now improving.”

Rotherham has one of the highest levels of hospital tooth extractions among 0-19 year olds nationally, with almost three per cent of 6-10 year olds undergoing this procedure in 2019-20.

Tooth extractions are the most common reason for hospital admissions in the 6-10 year old age group.

A £50m boost to NHS dental services funded 104 out-of-hours appointments in Rotherham, across thee dental practices between February and March 2022.

Six dental practices in Rotherham have benefited from additional investment to support access for patients.

A predicted 28 per cent increase in the population of adults aged over 65 and 70 per cent increase in the population of the 85 and over age group between 2020 and 2040 “will bring challenges of its own to develop dental services that meet the dental needs of this ageing population,” adds the report.