BLACKBURN'S Labour MP has warned that NHS dentistry in the town is 'dying a slow death' as the party's latest analysis confirms that 73 per cent of the town's practices are refusing to accept new patients.

Kate Hollern has accused the government of allowing free oral health care to 'wither on the vine'.

Her condemnation follows a nationwide Labour study which reveals that Blackburn - which historically has one of the worst records for child tooth decay in the country - has only three out of 11 dental practices which responded still accepting new adult NHS patients.

Mrs Hollern promised that if the party wins the next General Election it will introduce a dentistry rescue plan so patients can get an NHS dentist again.

She said: "The collapse of NHS dentistry has left millions of patients unable to get an appointment when they need one.

"Analysis of patient survey data suggests that last year 4.75million people were either told there were no appointments available or the practice wasn’t taking on new patients.

"Healthwatch England has reported horror stories of people forced to pull their own teeth out, with one in 10 Brits claiming to have attempted their own dental work.

"Vast parts of England are now ‘dental deserts’.

"The Conservatives have left NHS dentistry to wither on the vine, and now the service is barely worthy of the name.

"Patients in Blackburn are told to go without or do it themselves, with DIY dentistry now shockingly common in Tory Britain.

“NHS dentistry is dying a slow death. People are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need one.

"The consequences for patients are appalling.

“Labour will reform the NHS dental contract so that, over the long term, everyone who needs an NHS dentist can get one.

"Our fully-costed plan will rescue NHS dentistry by gripping the immediate crisis and reforming the service in the long-term.”

Labour's plans include:

• funding NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments for patients in need;

• incentives for new dentists to work in areas of greatest need to tackle ‘dental deserts’;

• supervised school tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds, targeted at the areas with highest childhood tooth decay; and

• reforming the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run so NHS dentistry is there for all who need it.

The plan would cost £111million a year paid for by abolishing 'non-dom' tax status which allows people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.

Labour figures show that across the North-West 717 dental surgeries responded with 361 (50.3 per cent) not accepting any new patients and 556 (77.5 per cent) not accepting new adult patients.

In November the Lancashire Telegraph revealed that only five dentists in East Lancashire are taking on new children and adults entitled to free dental care.

These are: L A Southworth Dental Surgery, Blackburn; Drakes Dental Care, Blackburn; Accrington Road Dental Surgery, Blackburn; Clayton Dental Care, Clayton-le-Moors; and Drake's Dental Care, Longridge.

It also revealed that no dentists are taking on new patients in Burnley, Darwen, Rossendale or Pendle.

In 2021, 51 per cent of five-year-olds in the Blackburn with Darwen had some form of tooth decay - the highest rate in the country.

The latest figures show this has fallen to 40 per cent meaning the borough had fallen to fifth in the league of child tooth decay shame.

Peter Tinson, director of primary care for Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “We acknowledge there are challenges in accessing NHS dental care both locally and nationally and some patients are finding it difficult to access routine NHS dental care.

“The NHS receives funding for around 60 per cent of the population to receive NHS dentistry.

"We recently agreed a dental access and oral health improvement plan which seeks to target this funding at people who need it most.

"This includes access to urgent dental care available by calling 0300 1234 010.”