More than three in five children have not seen an NHS dentist in the past year across two English areas, researchers found.

House of Commons Library research, which the Liberal Democrats published during their autumn conference in Brighton, showed more than 5.3 million children are thought not to have seen an NHS dentist in the past year.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the figures highlighted a “scandal” and called for an emergency dental registration scheme for children.

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper (James Manning/PA)

According to the numbers, more than half of children had not seen a dentist across 33 local authority areas, including in 13 London boroughs, Middlesbrough (50.1%), Devon (53.4%), Blackpool (54.7%), Dudley near Birmingham (54.8%), Norfolk (57.3%) and the Isle of Wight (58%).

In Herefordshire, some 20,980 children were identified as not having seen a dentist in the past year, out of an estimated cohort of 34,052 (61.6%).

The figures rose to 33,834 out of 54,352 (62.2%) in London’s Hackney.

“It’s a scandal that across the country, millions of children are going without basic dental care,” Ms Cooper said.

“The previous Conservative government mismanaged NHS dentistry so badly that they presided over under-spends in the dentistry budget whilst children’s teeth were left to rot.

“This appalling situation cannot go on. We Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency registration scheme so that children who are eligible for free check-ups can actually access them, and for reform of the broken dental contract to bring more dentists back to the NHS and end the scandal of dental deserts.

“The new Government cannot waste any time in gripping this emergency and rescuing NHS dentistry to ensure our children get the care they deserve.”

According to the NHS, patients with good oral health will “probably need to attend only once every 12 to 24 months, but those with more problems will need check-ups more often”.