Tories claim A&E being overrun with dental ‘emergencies’

Thousands of patients are turning up at hospital emergency departments for dental treatment because they can’t find an NHS dentist, says the Conservative Shadow Health Secretary.

Andrew Lansley MP produced figures from the NHS Information Centre showing that the number of admissions to hospital for dental treatment in England has gone up in parallel to increases in the number of people without an NHS dentist.

Last year nearly 240,000 people were admitted to hospital with dental problems - up six per cent since the introduction of the new dental contract in 2006. Some 18,000 of these were classed as emergencies.

Andrew Lansley said: "Dentists are being forced out of the NHS and some patients clearly have no other option but to take their dental problems to hospital A&E, a service which is already under great pressure."