County councillors have been told that, at the end of 2023, just 25 per cent of people in Lincolnshire had access to an NHS dentist.

The data was unveiled at a health scrutiny meeting at Lincolnshire County Council offices on April 17, 2024. The meeting was held as an opportunity for representatives to discuss how the health service had coped over the winter.

According to LincsOnline, a spokesperson for Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said, “it still remains a challenge” to access NHS dentistry in the region.

Four NHS dentists in Lincolnshire have terminated their contracts over the last 12 months. LincsOnline says there are now “just 51 NHS dental practices” in the area.

One of the aims of the meeting was to improve transparency of communication with dental practices regarding closures.

The ICB’s statistics stated, “Just under 25 per cent of Lincolnshire’s population accessed an NHS dentist between July and December 2023.” This places the county approximately half a percentage below the national average of 25.54 per cent.

Carl Macey, the chair of the committee, said, “Access to NHS dental services is probably one of the areas most raised with me as a councillor, especially in Skegness, where residents are contacting local NHS dentists and being advised simply they are not taking on any patients.

“They’ve often then turned to private dentists, where in Skegness, they’re actually saying the private dentists are full, and you can’t see a private dentist either.

“It’s fantastic we’ve got these documents going forward, but it’s not helping the man or woman on the street. Communication seems to be one of the weakest areas.”

The ICB said it would be “targeting areas of deprivation where we know decay rates are high”. It plans to use mobile NHS dental vans to help improve access.

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