Six-year-old Wakefield girl with black teeth unable to see a dentist

A man whose six-year-old daughter has "black" teeth but has never been able to see a dentist says he feels "hopeless" about the situation.

Despite regular brushing, ten of Madina Faqirzai's teeth are edged with dark patches of decay, causing her to cry with pain.

But her father Haseebullah has consistently been unable to register Madina or her sister Yusara, nine, at a dentist. Neither has ever had dental care.

"I was registered about 15 years ago when I was living in Sheffield." Mr Faqirzai said. He now lives in Wakefield but added: "When I moved and I tried to register here I couldn't get anything.

"I went to about six of them near Wakefield town centre. The places I couldn't reach like Normanton or Pontefract, I rang them from Google, and they all said we can't get registration."

He said one dentist told him they already had a five-year waiting list.

Mr Faqirzai said he had been forced to look to places as far away as Dewsbury and Barnsley, but had been unsuccessful.

The family's case was raised at Prime Minister's Questions this week by their MP Simon Lightwood.

He asked Rishi Sunak what action he was going to take about the "national dental emergency". Mr Sunak said he would write to Mr Lightwood about the Faqirzais' case.

"I don't think [the government is helping enough]," Mr Faqirzai said.

"I've paid money for health, and I don't get any treatment. I feel sad, I feel worried about it, I feel I can't do any other things [to help].

"I feel quite hopeless," he said.

He said he wanted to see the issue resolved so that other children were spared similar problems.

"I hope all the community gets registered, and I hope every child can get a dentist and not have an issue like my daughter has," he said.

Local dentist Nadia Alani said her practice now opened on Saturdays and had increased its hours to reduce the pressure.

She said: "The problem has been going on for longer than we realise. I think there has been a gap between dentists leaving the profession and the amount of new graduates. Now we're noticing that gap wider than ever."

The Department for Health said another 500 dentists had registered in the past year.

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