The number of people seeking emergency dental treatment has soared in the last ten years, new alarming figures from the NHS have revealed.
Some 24,292 patients underwent emergency treatment in hospitals across England last year, compared to 17,400 in 2000-01.
The rise has been attributed to problems with access to NHS dentistry, which has left many people resorting to DIY dental care including using pliers to pull out their own teeth .
The data, released by the NHS Information Centre, suggests that regions where there has been a larger increase in the number of people without an NHS dentist have tended to see a bigger rise in the number of hospital admissions for dental treatment .
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the figures provide "more evidence that the previous Labour government failed to improve access to NHS dentistry ".
He added: "While some emergency admissions are to be expected, the sheer level of increase suggests that fewer people are getting the dental care that they need."
"The coalition Government will not delay in reversing this. That’s why we are committing to introducing a new dentistry contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to NHS dentistry, with an additional focus on the oral health of schoolchildren."
A survey carried out last year by consumer group Which? estimated that 3 million Brits had tried DIY dentistry.
