Wigan has one of the highest rates of tooth decay in the whole country, according to figures. Between 2018/19 and 2020/21, NHS dentists in Wigan performed 176,122 fillings on adults and 53,755 on children - a rate of 67 fillings for every 100 adults and 77 for every 100 children in the area.
The national average is 51 fillings per 100 adults and 62 fillings for every 100 children. READ MORE:Patients could soon use new NHS online platform to see operation waiting times The pandemic has created a huge backlog in dental treatments and according to the latest dental statistics, the number of treatments performed by NHS dentists in Greater Manchester fell by 71pc - from 2.3 million in 2019/20 to 670,893 in 2020/21.
Covid-19 restrictions and a hesitancy among patients to make appointments have been blamed for the drop in procedures such as fillings, extractions, and crowns.
The backlog it has created is particularly bad news for Wigan after Manchester Evening Newsreported on some of the dental nightmares residents have been experiencing in the past year.
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