Stark new figures have revealed Norfolk and Waveney to be among the worst-hit areas in the country for dental shortages.

Figures published by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) show that across the region, there are just 38 dentists per 100,000 people.

This equates to just one dentist for every 2,600 people living in Norfolk and Waveney, as NHS dental appointments continue to be hard to come by.

Neil Carmichael, chairman of the ADG, said: "Our fears of an exodus from NHS dentistry are proving to be founded and the number of NHS dentists working in England is now at the lowest level in a decade."

The ADG is calling for urgent action to be taken to improve patient access in Norfolk and Waveney, warning that without this "dental deserts" will continue to grow.

Campaigners have described the figures as "appalling".

Nikki Winder, from Costessey, became part of the Toothless in England campaign group - which launched in Norfolk in November last year - after becoming exasperated with her own dentistry experiences.

She said: "It is appalling, but the figures do not surprise me at all.

"It feels absolutely impossible for people to get appointments at the minute.

"So few dental surgeries are taking NHS appointments and as soon as one opens up for them, they are gone within a matter of days.

"The consensus at the moment is appalling - nobody knows where to go so they are just biting the bullet and going private.

"With the cost of living going up alongside this, it is getting less and less feasible for people to do this, so they are just left to suffer in pain."

The figures paint Norfolk and Waveney in the top five worst-hit clinical commissioning group areas in the city for shortages of dentists. Just North Lincolnshire (32), North East Lincolnshire (37) and East Riding of Yorkshire (37) have fewer dentists per 100,000 - while the Lincolnshire CCG area also has 38 dentists per 100,000 people.

They also show that almost two-thirds of the adults living in the region have not seen a dentist in the past two years.

In the past two years, only 36.2pc of adults saw their dentists, while in the past year 34.9pc of children were able to get appointments.