CASES of people resorting to “DIY dentistry” are no longer unusual, as nine in 10 NHS dentists are unable to accept new adult patients, Healthwatch England has warned.

According to an investigation by the BBC and the British Dental Association, 91 per cent of NHS dental practices in England have no capacity for new adult patients, with this figure rising to 97 per cent in the Midlands and 98 per cent in the south-west, north-west and Yorkshire and Humber. 

Eight in 10 practices are not accepting children as new patients, the figures also showed.