Extra NHS dental appointments promised by the government will only cover a third of the people who need urgent care, say leading dentists.
The British Dental Association (BDA) is warning patients may be forced to use “Victorian-era” methods.
It says there are already cases of people pulling out their own teeth and others needing emergency surgery due to untreated infections.
The government has pledged to deliver another 700,000 urgent appointments, with the roll out beginning in April.
However, the BDA cites an NHS England letter to local health leaders which estimates 2.2 million people who need treatment currently cannot get an appointment.
“It is assumed that these are the people who would require urgent care appointments,” the letter states.
This suggests 1.5 million people could still be left untreated despite the government initiative, a key part of its health manifesto.
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The extra appointments will be focused on England’s “dental deserts” – places where people struggle to get NHS treatment.
They will be available to patients in pain, who have infections or require urgent repairs.
Data shows as many as six in 10 children have rotting teeth by the age of five – with stark differences between poorer regions of England, and the more affluent.
Local health bodies have been given targets to meet, but the BDA says the government needs to provide more funding so that no one is left out.
“It seems a new government discovered the need for urgent care, but chose just to cover a third of it. This is austerity on stilts,” said Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA’s general dental practice committee.
“Rather than eliminating DIY dentistry, the Treasury is ensuring we keep seeing horrors that belong in the Victorian era. Ministers have a moral responsibility to ensure no patient is ever left in this position.”
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It comes as a survey found nearly two thirds (63%) of dentists say they often feel “burnt out and exhausted”.
The poll of 1,600 members of Dental Protection, part of the Medical Protection Society, also found 50% felt pressurised to take extra work to meet demand for NHS appointments.
Some also talked about a “target-driven culture” and financial concerns, saying what the government pays them isn’t meeting their operational costs.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
