Millions Attempting DIY Dentistry

Mon, 16 Feb 2009

Three million Brits have put their health at risk by resorting to DIY dentistry, new research has revealed.

A survey by consumer group Which? into the state of dentistry in the UK suggests an estimated three million people in England (8 per cent of the population) have resorted to such measures due to a shortage of NHS dentists .

Which? questioned 2,631 adults in England and found a quarter of those who have tried to fix their own dental problems have used pliers to pull out their teeth, while 12 per cent have used a piece of string tied to a door handle.

Others have tried to fix crowns with household glue (11 per cent), burst ulcers with a pin (19 per cent), stick down loose fillings with chewing gum (6 per cent), or tried to mend/alter dentures (8 per cent).

In addition, some 30 per cent of DIY dentists have tried whitening their teeth using household cleaning products.

Jenny Driscoll, health campaigner at Which?, said that the findings show how "desperate" some people are to relieve their dental problems .

"Everyone should have access to good quality dental treatment so it's worrying to see so many people resorting to doing it themselves."

Mike Penning, the shadow health minister, commented: "It is a scandal that millions of people are resorting to pulling out their own teeth as a result of Labour's disastrous mismanagement of NHS dentistry .

"These survey results are a direct consequence of the introduction of Labour's botched dental contract which has left millions without an NHS dentist," he added.
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