Hundreds of patients have filed complaints over hygiene and hand washing in dental and GP practices in England.
New data shows that more than 300 were formally submitted during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic – with around two thirds concerning hand washing.
According to NHS Digital, around 360 complaints were made between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021. This marks a 49% rise on the period from 2018 to 2019.
Out of the total complaints, 242 concerned hygiene – with 44 of these sent to dental practices.
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This comes as research shows the UK fell short of making a top 10 list of countries in Europe when it comes to dental hygiene.
New data reveals that residents in Ireland and Lithuania take better care of their teeth than their British neighbours.
Of the almost 30 European countries looked at, Norway was first for oral hygiene. It was followed by Luxembourg in second place and Germany took the third spot.
Serbia was the least teeth-conscious country in Europe, according to the study, falling just below Latvia and also Poland.
More pride
The data collected analysed the number of dentists per 10,000 people, sugar consumption, the prevalence of current tobacco use, and the average number of dental visits per person annually.
‘Dentistry in the UK is in a state of flux, so it felt like a great time to run the study,’ said Chris Moffatt, a dental expert at Kent Express.
‘It’s shocking to discover that the UK ranks so poorly in the survey. We’re also among the bottom 10 countries in the world when it comes to how often we visit the dentist.
‘We want people to take more notice of their oral health, and more pride in their teeth.’
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