As the credit crunch bites an increasing number of households are feeling the strain and a number of adults feel they cannot afford dental care.

Research conducted by health plan provider HSA has shown more than a quarter of people believe they simply cannot afford to receive professional oral health care.

Spokesman for organisation Richard Halley highlighted that recent research by the NHS has shown that half a million fewer people now visit the dentist regularly when compared to two years ago.

"This could be down to cost and also difficulty in accessing an NHS dentist," he suggested.

It is not just dental healthcare which is being affected by Britons’ tightening finances.

Recently, the charity Citizens Advice claimed that prescription costs are a "barrier to health" and mean that some chronically ill people cannot afford the medication they need.

Citizens Advice chief executive David Harker questioned why the government claims it recognises the link between ill health and poverty but fails to act.