Less than half of adults in Northumberland have visited a dentist in past two years

The British Dental Association said the statistics – which show treatments remain below pre-pandemic levels across England despite a surge in activity – show NHS dentistry is "on its last legs" and in need of urgent change.

In the year to March, a total of 177,517 courses of treatment were delivered to adults and children in the former Northumberland CCG area, figures from NHS Digital show.

This was more than double the 74,937 treatments delivered in 2020-21, but still 32% below the pre-pandemic figure of 259,578.

Different figures show in the two years to June, 109,896 adults saw their local NHS dentist in Northumberland – 41% of the over-18 population.

That represented another fall from 47% in the 24 months to June 2021, which saw dental activity first hampered by the pandemic, and a drop from 56% in the two years to June 2019.

Some 50% of children (29,234) were seen by NHS dentists between July 2021 and June this year, compared to 34% over the same period the previous year, and 64% in 2018-19.

Across England, dentists carried out 26.4 million treatments in 2021-22, though the BDA said this is just two-thirds of the average volumes delivered annually in the five years prior to the pandemic – 39.4 million.

Eddie Crouch, chairman of the BDA, said: "What we're seeing isn't a recovery, but a service on its last legs.

"The government will be fooling itself and millions of patients if it attempts to put a gloss on these figures.

"NHS dentistry is light years away from where it needs to be. Unless ministers step up and deliver much needed reform and decent funding, this will remain the new normal."

According to NHS Digital figures, there were 216 NHS dentists working across the former NHS Northumberland CCG area in the year to March – meaning each one had the equivalent of 1,499 patients on their roster.

In July, clinical commissioning groups were abolished and replaced with integrated care boards across England.