One in 10 people have performed DIY dentistry, poll finds

People claim to have given themselves fillings while others removed or repaired crowns and filed their broken teeth down.
A new poll suggests people are going without dental care (Rui Vieira/PA)
PA Wire
Jane Kirby24 March 2023

One in 10 people have performed DIY dentistry, with poor access to dentists a major reason why, a poll has suggested.

A new YouGov survey of 2,104 people across Great Britain found 10% have performed dentistry on themselves and one in five (22%) are currently not registered with a dentist.

Of those who are unregistered, more than a third (37%) said it is because they cannot find an NHS dentist to take them on, with a further 5% on a waiting list, while another 23% said they are not registered because they do not think they can afford to be treated.

Of those who have done DIY dentistry, 56% did so within the last two years, including 36% who did so within the last year.

Both government and opposition need a clear plan to reform and properly fund NHS dentistry. Failing that, they may as well get started on writing its obituary

Eddie Crouch, British Dental Association chairman

Some said they had pulled their own teeth while others claim to have given themselves fillings, removed or repaired crowns, filed their broken teeth down or treated their own abscesses and infections.

One in five of those who attempted a procedure did so because they could not get a timely appointment, with a further 15% saying Covid-related lockdowns prevented them from getting one, according to YouGov.

Other reasons were being unregistered, fear of going to the dentist and an inability to pay for treatment.

Overall, about one in eight of those surveyed (12%) said they currently have no confidence in their ability to afford even routine NHS dental care.

Another 11% are not very confident they can.

Some 46% of all those polled said they have seen a dentist within the last six months, rising to 70% for those who have seen one within two years.

However, a quarter (27%) have not been for two years or more, including 8% who admit it has been more than a decade since they saw a dentist.

British Dental Association chairman Eddie Crouch said: “From the patients attempting DIY dentistry, to those who’ve given up even trying to get an appointment, these numbers show a service approaching the end of the road.

“Both government and opposition need a clear plan to reform and properly fund NHS dentistry. Failing that, they may as well get started on writing its obituary.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in