12-month long waiting times for tooth extractions set to lengthen

The warning is that many young and vulnerable patients across England are now expected to see waiting times of up to a year lengthen significantly.

Extractions, performed under general anaesthetic on children and adults some with a complex mix of medical conditions, including autism and learning difficulties, are the responsibility of community dental services and hospital dental services.

Frontline intelligence gathered by the BDA across the English regions suggest many services have yet to resume treatment since the start of lockdown, and where they have the capacity has often halved to meet social distancing and additional infection control procedures.

Tooth decay has been immovable as the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children, with recent analysis by the Local Government Association indicating 180 procedures took place every working day in England in 2018/19 on patients aged under 18.