An Oxfordshire MP has slammed the lack of NHS dentists in the region, saying many children and adults are missing out on the vital service. 

MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran, has backed plans to end "dental deserts" as figures reveal more than 40 per cent of local children did not see an NHS dentist in the last year. 

This comes as the Liberal Democrats have unveiled a manifesto policy aiming to give free dental check-ups to children and new mothers on NHS.   

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Ms Moran said: “It is a national scandal that children’s teeth are left to rot and people are forced to carry out their own dental work.

"It is time to end dental deserts after years of neglect by the Conservative government.

“Dentists are working exceptionally hard in very difficult circumstances to deliver the vital care people need."

She said both patients and health professionals have been "let down by years of Conservative underfunding". 

She added: “Instead of a temporary filling, we need a proper rescue package for dental healthcare."

Figures reveal 4.5 million children in England didn’t see a NHS dentist last year with 143,840 children specifically in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. 

The statistics don't improve for adults with 61 per cent of adults in the same three counties or 747,618 people not having seen an NHS dentist in the two years to June 2023. 

Ms Moran pointed to the importance of adequate dental care - highlighting that tooth decay was the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between six and 10 years.

Oxford Mail: MP Layla Moran says her relatives are among those sheltering in the churchSince 2018, more than 100,000 children across the country have been admitted to hospital with rotting teeth. 

Ms Moran said she had questioned the Health Minister on the lack of access to NHS dental care in Oxfordshire in Parliament earlier this year.

She said she raised the case of one constituent who contacted a dozen dentists, none of which were providing NHS dental care.

The minister claimed in her response that the “situation is improving”.

Oxford Mail: You can get help from the NHS with dentist appointments

The Liberal Democrats’ proposed plan to end "dental deserts" would include introducing an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups in England and Wales for those already eligible: children, new mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes.

The party also hopes to bring dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by "fixing" the NHS dental contract - which it described as "broken" - and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs.

Spokespersons from the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NHS were contacted for comment, and declined to respond. 

The other general election candidates for Oxford West and Abingdon are Conservatives, Vinay Raniga; Labour, Stephen Webb; Green, Cheryl Briggs; Reform UK, James Gunn.