Almost 90 per cent of the English population who have tried to see an NHS dentist over the last two years were able to get an appointment, new research has revealed.
A survey of over 2,600 adults, carried out by consumer group Which? found that of the 68 per cent who tried to make an appointment since the start of 2007, 88 per cent were successful.
However, the findings also showed that three million people in England (8 per cent) were unable to see an NHS dentist in the last two years.
In addition, a further 4.5 million people (7 per cent) said they had stopped looking for a dentist on the NHS and gone private due to past problems with access to NHS dental care, while 4 per cent said such problems meant that they had not been to the dentist at all in the past two years.
In light of the findings, Which? has launched its online dentist-finder and is calling on consumers who have had problems getting an appointment to try again.
The consumer charity also plans to use the online directory to pinpoint areas where access remains a problem and is calling for greater clarity on what dental services are available on the NHS, along with more education about oral health .
Helen McCallum, Which? director of policy and communications, said: "The common belief is that NHS dentists are as rare as hens' teeth, but it's not nearly as difficult to find one as most people think."
She added: "We hope our online dentist finder will help the NHS to pinpoint the trouble spots so that not only can they help the millions of people without a dentist, but so we can start to clear up the misconception that NHS dentists are almost impossible to find."
"If we can identify the problem trusts, there will be no excuse for the Government not to act, clear up these few areas and, crucially, the perception that if you're lucky enough to find an NHS dentist, you should hold on for dear life!"
