Dental patients turn to A&E for treatment

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Figures published today reveal 2,932 people a year are ending up in the capital's A & E departments.

The number of patients admitted to emergency units is overburdening staff and costing the NHS £1.746million a year.

Tower Hamlets has the highest number of hospital admissions for people who do not have a dentist.

A total of 207 people were seen for teeth problems from 2007 to 2008 at a cost of £123,289 to the trust.

City and Hackney Teaching primary care trust also had a higher than average number of admissions - 166 patients costing £98,870.

Nationally, the total number of emergency admissions for dentistry was 22,000 from 2007 to 2008. The figure includes 5,500 children as well as 1,101 people sent to A & E by GPs.

These emergency admissions across the country are costing the NHS about £13million a year.

The figures were uncovered by the Conservatives who today warned they were further evidence of Labour's "failure" on dentistry.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "These figures are further evidence of Labour's appalling failure on NHS dentistry.

"For years now many people have been simply unable to see an NHS dentist and almost a million or more have lost access to their dentist since Labour's new contract was introduced in 2006."

Figures show three million people have tried to find an NHS dentist in the last two years and failed.

Research by consumer group Which? also revealed 4.5 million did not even bother to look for one because they were put off by past experiences.

The consumer group said NHS dentists are easier to find than is commonly thought but warned large gaps in access in England are "unacceptable".

Ministers are already under pressure to improve patient access to dentists.

Official statistics show that almost one million people have now lost access to their NHS dentist since the Government brought in a new contract three years ago.