Dental services on the Isle of Wight have been branded the 'biggest health inequality' for residents by a health watchdog.
One person has been trying for over 12 years to register with a dentist and people having to borrow money for necessary treatment, according to Healthwatch Isle of Wight.
At a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s policy and scrutiny committee for health and social care, Joanna Smith, manager of Healthwatch IW, said they had received a huge amount of feedback from people who have been having trouble with dental services which and has led to the watchdog, launching a survey to find out more.
So far, since the survey was launched in November, more than 400 people have completed the survey and Ms Smith said some awful stories had been shared.
She said:
“We have heard from families whose children have never seen a dentist because they cannot access an NHS dentist.
“We have had a huge amount of people having to refuse private dental treatment because they cannot afford it.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, people were contacting us to say they were in excruciating pain — now we are seeing the longer-term effects. People are coming to us as they cannot chew food, so they are having to have a soft food diet and this is severely limiting what they can eat.”
With people unable and reluctant to visit their dentist during the course of the pandemic, Ms Smith said head and neck cancer referrals have reduced, as dentists have not been able to pick up the signs.
There has also been evidence issues with teeth have caused depression and severe psychological problems.
Specialist dental services, for people with additional needs, are also suffering from a long waiting list for support.
Ms Smith said:
“This is an absolutely huge issue on the Island, caused through a lack of NHS dentists and by the fact that many people who are registered with an NHS dentist haven’t had an appointment for a long, long time.
“I cannot stress enough how important this is and what a huge impact this is having on Island people at the moment.”
Cllr John Nicholson, chair of the scrutiny committee, said the council would raise the issue with NHS England as they had done so in the past.
To complete the Healthwatch survey about your experiences with dentists on the Island, you can do so here www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/VRV2ZF/ until December 31.
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