Millions of people in England have tried and failed to access an NHS dentist, according to leading members of the profession.

Millions more have not even attempted to seek care as they do not think they will secure an appointment, analysis by the British Dental Association (BDA) suggests.

23% of people in Buckinghamshire reported in a recent survey that they were unable to get an NHS dentist appointment when they last tried to book one. 

25% of people also said that they would describe their experience at the dentists as bad, with 65% stating that they had a good experience. 

26% of people also said that they did not try to get an NHS dental appointment as they didn't think they would be able to get one. 

Using data from the GP Survey by Ipsos, the BDA found 13 million people – or 28% of England’s adult population – have an unmet need for NHS dentistry.

The figure includes an estimated 5.6 million adults who have tried and failed to secure a dental appointment in the last two years.

It also estimates 5.4 million people no longer attempt to make appointments, as they do not believe they can secure one, leaving many without crucial dental treatment and care. 

Some 1.25 million find dental care too costly, according to the BDA, while a further 780,000 people are on a waiting list for an NHS dentist. Many have to turn to private treatment as the waiting times are too long.

Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, warned: “NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist for millions across this country.”

Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting met dentists to begin discussions about reforming the NHS dental contract.

The contract for dental services has been blamed for a number of problems in dentistry, including an exodus of NHS dentists and so-called dental deserts, where patients struggle to find NHS care close to where they live.

Mr Charlwood added: “A new government has inherited old problems but luckily hasn’t followed in its predecessor’s footsteps by pretending this crisis has been solved.

“These numbers are stark reminder we need urgency and ambition to save this service.”

During the General Election campaign, Labour pledged to create 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments a year as well as recruiting new dentists to under-served areas.

The party also said it would introduce supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds.