1 Million Mums Miss Out on Dental Care Following Covid Crisis

In the UK, pregnant women are eligible for free dental care on the NHS if they begin treatment during their gestation period, up until their child is a year old.

However, according to recent NHS figures, both treatment for pregnant women and women with children under 12 months old has plummeted over the course of the Covid 19 period.

Prior to the pandemic, there were more than 840,000 Maternity Exemption applications filed annually on average. Very quickly this number slashed to less than one third in 2020/ 2021, standing at less than 246,000. It has since begun to climb back but remains at almost half the original number, just over 490,000 in 2021/2022, accumulating over the course of the pandemic to a loss of over 944,000 dental appointments.

Chief scientific adviser at the BDA, Professor Justin Durham explained that “pregnant women and new mums are offered free dental care because the risks are plain and the benefits clear”.
“Sadly, close to a million women have missed out on taking advantage of free dental care. Missing out on free regular dental care can have a substantial impact on both the mother and child, and the most vulnerable in society are likely to lose out the most.”

He continued: “We need to see real urgency on reform of NHS dentistry so there is better access for all. Any money saved should be re-invested to improve both maternal and child oral health.”

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