People who are facing difficulties in accessing dentistry across the Lowestoft area are being urged to take part in a survey.

Amid fears nationally that many people are unable to get the appointments they need and one in 10 are even attempting their own DIY dentistry, views are being sought locally.

With Labour pledging to rescue NHS dentistry, a 'Rescue NHS dentistry' has been launched.

Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Lowestoft, Jess Asato, is running a survey to understand the issues people are facing in trying to access dentistry across the Lowestoft constituency.

It comes as Waveney MP Peter Aldous urges the General Dental Council to "fill the gap" in the UK’s dental workforce - calling on them to reform the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) that dentists must pass in order to practice in the UK.

In February Mr Aldous visited the new state-of-the-art dental facilities at the University of Suffolk that is being developed between the NHS and the university to help develop a sustainable and multi-skilled dental care workforce for the future.

With Labour planning to deliver nationally an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments and reform the NHS dental contract as well as incentivising new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, it comes as recent figures show 11.7 per cent of children aged 10-11 in Suffolk suffer from tooth decay.

As Labour pledge to launch a Dentistry Rescue Plan in government to get the service back on its feet - the party will roll out supervised toothbrushing in schools for three to five-year-olds, targeted at the areas with highest childhood tooth decay.

With Ms Asato launching a survey to understand the issues people are facing in trying to access dentistry, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Lowestoft said: "Lack of access to dentistry is one of the issues which many residents in Lowestoft have raised with me.

"Tooth decay is the number one reason young children are admitted to hospital.

"It can’t be right that you have to go to an already over-burdened A&E just to get help."

To understand the issues residents are facing in trying to access dentistry visit the survey online.