NHS dental care plunges to record low in South Hams

New figures show that just 19.8 per cent of adults in the South Hams were seen by an NHS dentist in the two years to June 2026, compared with 51.6 per cent in the equivalent period in 2019.

The fall of 31.8 percentage points is the largest recorded by any council area in England, according to analysis of NHS figures by Emergensee.com, a national emergency dental care network.

The number of adults receiving NHS dental treatment in South Hams has fallen from 36,781 to just 15,245 over the same period.

It means approximately 61,600 adults in the district have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years, although some may have received private treatment or not required dental care.

The figures paint a particularly bleak picture across Devon, with Exeter, Plymouth and West Devon occupying the next three places in the national rankings.

In Exeter, just 20.6 per cent of adults were seen by an NHS dentist, followed by Plymouth at 21 per cent and West Devon at 21.2 per cent.

Across the wider NHS Devon area, including Plymouth and Torbay, the proportion has fallen to 25.3 per cent, its lowest level since comparable records began in 2019.

Older residents in South Hams face an especially stark situation, with just 17.9 per cent of people aged 65 and over having seen an NHS dentist in the past two years.

That is the lowest proportion anywhere in England and compares with approximately 42 per cent nationally.

Children are also affected, with just 45.3 per cent of under-18s in South Hams seen by an NHS dentist in the year to June 2026.

That places the district seventh from bottom nationally, down from 69.3 per cent in 2019 and well below the England average of approximately 60 per cent.

The number of dentists carrying out NHS work across Devon has also declined, falling from 606 in 2019/20 to 523 in 2025/26.

However, those figures count individual dentists rather than the amount of NHS treatment they provide.

Separate Office for National Statistics survey findings suggest many residents are turning to private dentistry.

Across NHS Devon, 54 per cent of adults reported having a private dentist, while 26 per cent had an NHS dentist and 18 per cent had no dentist at all.

Across the South West, 40 per cent of recent private dental patients said they had gone private because no NHS appointment was available, the highest proportion of any English region.

An Emergensee spokesperson said: "These figures show that around one in five adults in South Hams were seen by an NHS dentist in the two years to June 2026, compared with 40 per cent across England. They only count NHS care, so they don't include people who see a private dentist or who haven't needed to see a dentist, and they shouldn't be read as a judgement on the area or the dental teams working there."

The spokesperson added: "Whether someone sees an NHS or a private dentist, what matters is that they are treated with care and respect and have their options explained clearly."

The analysis covers 296 council areas in England, using NHS Business Services Authority data and population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.