Britons are resorting to dangerous do-it-yourself dentistry, including using superglue and metal files, as access to NHS dental care collapses, a new investigation reveals. The practice, which also involves self-extractions without anaesthetic, has become a grim reality for a growing number of people unable to afford or find treatment.
In 2018, a mobile dental charity van in Winchester saw a queue of desperate patients, some of whom admitted to performing their own dental work. Since then, the situation has worsened. During the first lockdown, 25% of UK households attempted some form of DIY dentistry, and Boots reported a surge in sales of home dental kits.
Recent cases include a woman who used superglue and metal files after a 12-month wait for NHS treatment, a man who pulled out two teeth by hand, and another woman who removed five of her own teeth. The British Dental Association warns of an ‘unprecedented’ collapse, with nearly half of 2,204 surveyed dentists reducing NHS commitments and 3,000 leaving NHS work since March 2020.
Only a third of adults in England have access to an NHS dentist, and less than half of children do, according to the Association of Dental Groups. Dr Nigel Carter of the Oral Health Foundation calls for increased government funding, stating: ‘It is an awful situation for many that they are in such pain to even contemplate undertaking DIY dentistry at home.’
