The UK's chronic shortage of dentists is evidenced in a study that shows a staggering proportion of people have not had their teeth checked since turning 18.

The most desperate need is highlighted in Newcastle, where one in 10 people are affected. A poll of 2,000 adults found that 10 percent of those from the North East had not been treated as adults. The figures emerged as the Mirror campaigns for better access to NHS dentistry for everyone. Health Secretary Wes Streeting faces a mammoth task reforming dental care for millions of patients.

Across the UK as a whole, six per cent of adults, the equivalent of 3.6 million people, have never been to a dentist. Healthcare firm Haleon found that women were slightly more likely to visit the dentist as adults.

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Just five percent said they had skipped visits as an adult, compared to seven percent of men. Age-wise, those in middle age were the worst offenders, with 9% of those aged 45-54 admitting never going to get their teeth checked since turning 18. Those aged 18-24 were ‘best’, with just four percent saying they’d never been as an adult, compared to six percent aged 35-44.

In Newcastle, dental patients described the problems they faced getting NHS appointments in the city. Bobbie Buddin, 25, who works at 'Mac 'N' Cheese' in the Grainger Market, was in 'agony' from a wisdom tooth earlier this year.

Due to the high cost of treatment, she was forced to go to Newcastle Dental Hospital to be seen by a trainee dentist. "It was pretty awful," she told the Mirror. "I was having real problems because the pain kept me awake at night. It was pericoronitis, inflammation around the wisdom tooth.

"If I went to the dentist it was going to cost me £60-£70 and I just could not afford that. So I went to the dental hospital where a student dentist cleaned the tooth out. A fully qualified dentist then checks it. It was free."

Butcher Dave Kay, 63, of Chapel House, Newcastle, was removed from his dentist's patient list six years ago during lockdown. He has not seen a dentist since then. "I missed the appointment and that was it," he said. "I have the same problem with the GP because I am at work and can only get time off on a Monday or a Wednesday. I have not had any problems with my teeth, touch wood, but if I did, I would have to go private."

Colleague Jeremy Eden, 56, of Ponteland, Newcastle, has an 18-mile round trip to an NHS dentist in Crawcook, Gateshead. He said that his private appointments became too expensive. "It is a 25-minute drive because I don't live anywhere near Crawcrook," he said. "But it was the only dentist accepting NHS patients. I used to go to Birtley which was even further away. The private dentist near me was just too expensive."

According to beauty shop owner Lisa Gray, 52, and greengrocer Barry Moore, the secret may be to find a dentist and stick with them. Lisa, who lives in Wardley, Gateshead but works in Newcastle, said: "My daughter was kicked out by her dentist but she is the most forgetful person I know. She did not like to go. I am a patient at the same practice and have been going there for 25 years. They are so friendly and helpful, which counts for a lot. I have never missed an appointment so perhaps that is the secret."

Barry Moore, 63, of Denton Burn, Newcastle, who has worked in the Grainger market for 41 years, added: "I am an NHS patient and I always turn up for appointments so I have never had any problem." But Jaime Cura, 49, of "Geordie Bangers" in the Grainger Market, was also removed from her NHS dentist's patient list during lockdown. She has not had a dental appointment for six years and is considering her parents' practice in Orwell, Cambs., a 480-mile round trip.

"I moved up here from Kent eight years ago," she said. "I did see a dentist in 2020 but I did not receive a reminder for an appointment two years later. They removed me from the list. I have not been able to find another dentist since then.

"My parents live just outside Cambridge and it seems so much easier for them. My sister lives in Saffron Walden and she has to go to Braintree in Essex to see her dentist.

"It may be easier for me to get an appointment in Cambridge when I go to see my parents." People from the South East of England were most likely to see a dentist, according to the latest research, with just three percent saying they’d never gone as an adult.

Reasons given for skipping visits include fear of the dentist (dentophobia). One in five people surveyed gave that as a reason, along with one in four who said it was ‘too costly’.

Eight percent hoped tooth problems would ‘go away,’ while 20 percent used social media for advice on teeth and gums. Analysis from Economist Impact, through its Health Inclusivity Index, also found that one-in-four Brits who are registered with a dentist say they cannot get an appointment.

A total of 13 percent said they weren’t even able to register with a dentist near where they live. Stats show that tooth decay results in 32 million lost working hours each year, costing £605 million annually.

The regional league of shame showing the number of people least likely to go to the dentist:

1 - North East - 10%
2 - South West - 9%
3 - Wales - 9%
4 - East of England - 7%
5 - Scotland - 6%
6 - Yorkshire & Humber - 6%
7 - North West - 5%
8 - East Midlands - 5%
9 - West Midlands - 4%
10 - South East - 3%