Data released by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has shown that the rate of children in Wiltshire attending hospital for tooth extractions is 70 per cent higher than the national average.

The revelation comes as the NHS website continues to show Salisbury residents that the nearest dentist surgeries accepting new NHS patients are in Southampton, prompting the Salisbury Liberal Democrats to label the city a “dental desert” in its reaction to the national government’s newly announced dental plan.

Hospital tooth extractions in Wiltshire for children aged up to 19 years were 612 per 100,000 in the year to March 2023. Of these, 422.8 per 100,000 (69.1 per cent) included dental caries as a primary diagnosis.

The rate of hospital tooth extraction on children in Wiltshire was 70 per cent more than the national average, which stood at 360 per 100,000.

SEE ALSO: Wiltshire community nurses strike to protest their exclusion from the NHS backlog bonus

On Tuesday, February 13, Salisbury MP John Glen praised the government’s plans to overhaul and save NHS dentistry.

Mr Glen told the Journal : "In January, I visited a dentist in Bishopdown whose service is completely dependent on NHS work. They felt unsupported, and like a large number of dentists, were considering going private.

"Responding to these concerns, we announced our plans to turn the tide on access to NHS dentists with the NHS Dental Recovery Plan.

"We want to recognise the enormous contribution which dentists make to public health by rewarding their hard work and making it easier for everyone to get an appointment.”