It has been revealed that East Cambridgeshire is one of the places in the country with the lowest number of dentists.

The new analysis of data, collected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from July to September this year, shows no local authority area in the country has more than one dentist providing NHS treatment per 1,000 people.

East Cambridgeshire is one of 10 areas in England where the number of dentists is at their lowest, with 0.078 dentists per 1,000 people.

The area at the top of the list where the lowest number of dentists has been recorded is in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, with 0.062 dentists per 1,000 people.

The figures recorded highlight that the number of “dental deserts” across England are growing.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, said the government must address shortages in NHS dentistry.

The LGA said figures show a lack of NHS dentists in several parts of the country, with deprived and rural areas having fewer dentists than richer and urban areas.

Previous reports have found some people are turning to DIY dentistry after being unable to access care.

Chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, Cllr David Fothergill, said: “This stark new analysis shows a shortage in affordable dental treatments for communities.

“In particular, it is concerning that it is rural areas as well as those living with the highest levels of deprivation that are more likely to miss out on NHS dental provision.

“As we continue to feel the effect of the cost-of-living crisis, a lack of NHS dentists could risk people choosing to go for routine dental treatments or even resort to DIY dentistry, risking more costly emergency treatments being needed further down the line.”

Previous research has shown that children in deprived communities have poorer dental health than those in richer places.

The LGA said there is a large variation of five-year-olds having tooth decay across local authorities, ranging from 7% in some areas, to 51% in others.

A department of health and social care spokesperson said: “The health and social care secretary has set out her priorities of A,B,C and D, which includes dentists.

“Our plan for patients sets out how we will help more people to access NHS dental treatment – already backed by more than £3bn annually.”

They added: “We’ve already started changing the dental contract to incentivise dentists to do more NHS work – including in rural areas – and we are amending the law to make it easier for dentists not trained in England to work in the NHS.”

Councils are in charge of running programmes to promote good oral health and prevent problems, particularly among children, while NHS dentists are commissioned by NHS England.

The LGA said the public health grant for councils to help provide its service has been cut by 24% in real terms since 2015/16, equivalent to a total reduction of £1bn.

Cllr Fothergill added: “The government should reform the contract it has with dental surgeries as well as develop a workforce strategy to ensure we can have affordable dental treatments for communities across the country.

“Councils also need a real-terms increase in their public health grant so they can provide vital oral health improvement programmes to prevent longer-term health problems.”

British Dental Association chairman, Eddie Crouch said he feels the government must be more “ambitious” in its plans to reform NHS dentistry.

He said that for the service to be saved, we need “real commitment – root-and-branch reform and adequate funding”.

He said: “A broken contract is forcing dentists out of the NHS every day it remains in force.

“Tinkering at the margins will do nothing to help the patients who need us most.”

Have you had a bad experience with dentists in your area or struggled to be seen due to availability issues? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Email katie.woodcock@archant.co.uk.