Accessing dentistry through Covid-19

Healthwatch Sheffield produced this briefing in February 2022 to highlight the continued difficulties people faced accessing NHS dental care during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the previous year, around one in four enquiries received by Healthwatch Sheffield related to dentistry. While NHS expectations for dental activity had increased as services recovered, many people continued to report significant problems accessing both routine and urgent care. The report found that confusion experienced during the early stages of the pandemic had increasingly been replaced by frustration, with many residents unable to find timely treatment despite being in pain. 

A key finding was the lack of available NHS appointments across Sheffield. Healthwatch's mystery shopping exercise found that only one dental practice could immediately offer a new NHS appointment, while many others had waiting lists of 18 months to more than two years, or had closed their waiting lists altogether. People often struggled to obtain clear information about eligibility, registration requirements, waiting times and urgent care arrangements. Many patients reported being told they needed to register with a dentist before receiving treatment, despite NHS guidance stating this should not be necessary for urgent care. 

The report highlighted significant differences between the experiences of people who already had a regular dentist and those who did not. Individuals with an existing relationship with a practice were often able to access routine or urgent treatment, while others struggled to get any NHS care at all. Healthwatch also identified a growing divide between NHS and private dentistry, with several practices offering private appointments within weeks while NHS patients faced waits of years. Many people reported being unable to afford private treatment and expressed concerns that delays were affecting both their physical and mental health.

Children’s access to dentistry emerged as another major concern. Many parents reported difficulty obtaining NHS appointments for children born during or shortly before the pandemic, meaning some had never attended a dental appointment. Healthwatch concluded that problems accessing NHS dentistry risked widening health inequalities, particularly for people on low incomes, those with existing health conditions and families unable to pay for private care. The report called for significant action to improve access, strengthen NHS dental provision and address the growing gap between NHS and private treatment.