Searches for ‘tooth pain’ increase by 460% since 2010 amid dental crisis

Local TV

In the last decade, there's been a massive increase in the number of online searches for dental problems like tooth pain. Experts say it shows how serious the dental crisis has become.

Transcript

00:00Are you among the millions of people who have struggled to see an NHS dentist recently?

00:06According to statistics from the start of the year, more than 2,000 dentists have left

00:11the profession since the pandemic, and of the dental practitioners that remain, nearly

00:15half have scaled back their NHS treatment.

00:18This dental crisis is what experts are saying is to blame for the rise in online searches

00:23for dental problems like tooth pain.

00:25Since 2010, the search term has seen a 460% increase.

00:30The term toothache has also increased by 227% in the same period, with terms like bleeding

00:36gums and gum pain also seeing a rise.

00:40After an Oral Health Foundation survey found that cost was a barrier to seeking dental

00:44care for four in ten people, their chief executive Nigel Carter said access to affordable dental

00:49care is vital to prevent a worsening dental health crisis that would have far-reaching

00:53consequences for public health.

00:55But what about in your experience?

00:57Do you pay for private dental treatment or do you use NHS services?

01:01And how difficult do you find it is to get a dental appointment where you live?

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