An alarming number of people across Lancaster need emergency dental treatment in hospital because of a lack of access to NHS dentists, it was revealed this week.
These urgent admissions are a direct result of patients not having an NHS dentist who is normally able to treat them in an emergency.
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New figures extracted by the Conservatives show that across the country, 22,000 people had to be admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment last year. These emergency hospital admissions are costing the NHS £13 million a year.
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In North Lancashire 7,602 patients required Urgent treatment in 2008, an increase of nearly 1,000 patients since 2007
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This comes as the latest NHS figures show that 41% of the population across North Lancashire have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years.
These shocking figures exposing the lack of NHS dentists come despite the North Lancashire PCT developing an Oral Health Strategy and Commissioning Plan that has sought to improve oral health.
Eric Ollerenshaw, Prospective Conservative MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood said: "These figures underline once again the Labour Government's inexcusable failure on NHS dentistry. 41% of people across North Lancashire have been unable to see an NHS dentist.
And he added, "We need to cut out Labour's waste and bureaucracy in NHS dentistry and restore access to an NHS dentist to the million who have lost one under this Government."