And it shows

Apparently, that socialized medicine works so well 7.4 million people in England can't see a dentist.......

Millions of adults in England and Wales haven’t been to an NHS dentist since April 2006 mainly because they couldn’t find one to treat them, says new research carried out for national charity Citizens Advice as it urges Primary Care Trusts to spend newly allocated resources to improve access.

The Ipsos MORI survey found that lack of access is the most common reason cited by people in England and Wales for not seeing an NHS dentist since April 2006, along with not needing treatment. It was mentioned by 31% of respondents in England and Wales who have not been to an NHS dentist since April 2006. This is the equivalent of approximately 7.4 million people who have not been to an NHS dentist since April 2006 because of difficulties in finding one. Of these, the equivalent of approximately 4.7 million have sought private treatment instead and the equivalent of approximately 2.7 million have gone without treatment altogether.

The research also reveals that the problem is more evident in the South West (53%) and the North West (39%).

Citizens Advice Chief Executive David Harker said:

"These figures show the scale of the lack of access to NHS dentistry, reflecting the evidence which bureaux across England and Wales have been reporting ever since the early 90’s. People on low incomes are particularly affected as private treatment is just not an option.

"We are therefore delighted that the Government has responded to the problem by announcing an 11% increase in funding for NHS dentistry in England from 2008. This has the potential to deliver real improvements in access to dentistry but it needs to be carefully targeted on those areas where patients are experiencing the most acute problems.

"Primary Care Trusts have a duty to ensure that dentistry services meet local requirements and it is vital that they start planning how to allocate their additional funds now. We also hope that the Welsh Assembly Government will follow suit and increase funding for NHS dentistry in Wales.

"Patients who have been trying to find an NHS dentist should contact NHS Direct to find their local dental helpline now in order to benefit from any new services that are set up."

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