NHS dentistry crisis sees thousands of kids hospitalised to have teeth extracted

Over 20,000 kids had to go to hospital last year because of tooth decay with many likely to have had teeth removed.

The preventable condition is by far the biggest reason for hospital admission for five to nine-year-olds and the Royal College of Surgeons of England have called it “a public health emergency”. It comes as over 50,000 people have signed a new Mirror petition calling for the Government to properly fund NHS dentistry.

Our Dentists for All campaign has highlighted how its £3 billion budget is now only enough to fund care for half the population after a decade of stealth cuts under the Tories.

You can sign our petition here.

READ MORE: Save NHS dentistry NOW by reversing Tory stealth cuts - sign our petition

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New hospital admissions data for England shows 21,162 children aged 5 to 9 were admitted to hospital for tooth decay in 2024/2025. This was 65% higher than the next most common cause, which was acute tonsillitis at 13,667 admissions. It is also up on the 19,381 kids aged 5 to 9 admitted for tooth decay in 2023/2024.

Charlotte Eckhardt, dental surgery faculty dean at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “Tooth decay is entirely preventable, yet thousands of children are hospitalised every year for procedures that could have been avoided with simple daily habits and better access to an NHS dentist. The government’s dental contract must be boldly overhauled if they want to improve patient access and outcomes.

“Every child in hospital with tooth decay is proof that prevention has failed. We must act now to spare children needless pain, time off school, and avoidable surgery.”

Our Dentists for All campaign launched a new petition a fortnight ago calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting to properly fund dental care to tackle the crisis. Per head of population, the Westminster government puts in almost half less into dental services in England than the devolved administrations provide the other UK nations.

Our joint petition with the British Dental Association (BDA) and campaign group 38 Degrees has already reached 55,000 signatures.

The BDA says even admissions data is likely an underestimate of true hospital demand as Covid backlogs mean many kids are waiting in pain for up to 12 months for an appointment to get rotten teeth taken out.

BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: “These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, given the huge backlogs we’ve faced since lockdown. Ministers say it’s ‘Dickensian’ that decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children, but we need them to meet words with action.

“NHS dentistry has ceased to exist for millions of families. Warm words won’t solve this - only real investment and meaningful reform will.”

Plans are underway to reform the flawed NHS dental payment contract which leaves dentists making a loss treating patients who need most care. It pays dentists the same if a patient needs three fillings as if a patient needs 20 fillings. It has caused an exodus of NHS dentists to the private sector and means dental practices are no longer taking on new NHS patients However this contract reform will depend on the overall funding settlement.

Matthew McGregor, chief executive at 38 Degrees, said: "Too many of our kids aren’t getting the basic dental care they deserve. These shocking figures, which will come as a worry to many parents, show the consequences of that. NHS dentistry is in desperate need of proper funding so everyone - from our country’s youngest to oldest - can access an NHS dentist whenever they need to.

“That's why 55,000 people and counting have joined the campaign to demand the Government puts its money where its mouth is and funds NHS dentistry now."

The total budget for NHS dentistry in England has remained at around £3 billion since 2010, with no attempt to keep pace with inflation or population growth. The British Dental Association estimates that this has translated into a real-terms budget cut of over a third.

However when you dig deeper the figures show that rises in patient charges have masked cuts of £20 million to government funding for dentistry under the Tories, even before inflation. The Government only contributes around £2.2 billion of the dentistry budget for England in direct funding.

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Holding down direct funding has come at the same time as above inflation rises in patient charges. For example, the charge for dentures has increased by £128 since 2010 with a pair now costing £327.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "It is appalling that in the 21st century, the main reason our children go to hospital is for rotting teeth. This government is determined to fix this serious issue and stop the rot in NHS dentistry that we inherited.

"We’re rolling out supervised tooth brushing for three-to-five year-olds across the country and we’re partnering with industry to deliver millions of free toothbrushes and toothpastes to families. We've also started the rollout of 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments and we're making it easier to keep NHS dentists.”