Nearly half of dental practices in Warwick and Leamington are no longer accepting new NHS patients, Labour research has found.

Out of 14 surgeries in the Warwick and Leamington constituency that have provided a recent update, six are not accepting new adult patients and of these, three are not accepting any new patients.  

The data also shows in the West Midlands region, 45.5 per cent of surgeries are not accepting any new patients and 73.2 per cent are not accepting any new adult patients.  

Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, has expressed his concern about NHS dentistry provision in the local area after sharing the statistics.

The lack of appointments available has left many patients with no option but to turn to 'DIY dentistry' as they attempt to avoid expensive private treatment which can often be up to four times the price of the NHS treatment.  

Healthwatch England has reported horror stories of people forced to pull their own teeth out, with a one in 10 Brits claiming to have attempted their own dental work. 

On the statistics and reports, Mr Western said: "These figures and reports of people attempting 'DIY dentistry' are horrifying and I know will resonate with many people locally.  

"NHS dentistry has been badly ignored by this Government and now those in need of treatment are being left out in the cold, forced to take matters into their own hands. It's disgraceful.  

"We need urgent action to tackle this crisis and ensure patients can access the care they need and deserve." 

"The Labour Party have proposed a £111 million Dentistry Rescue Plan, funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status, which allows people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.  

"The proposal outlines how the Party would plan to fund NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments, incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, to tackle the emergence of 'dental deserts' where no NHS dentists are taking on new patients. 

"It would also include supervised toothbrushing in schools for three to five-year-olds, targeted at the areas with highest childhood tooth decay."