NHS dental places 'still limited'

Finding an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult

Patients still face a postcode lottery in trying to have dental treatment under the NHS, BBC research has shown.

Five of Wales' 22 local health boards were without a dentist offering new NHS places, while others were only able to offer an appointment in 12 months.

This is despite record investment by the Welsh Assembly Government.

A spokesman said access to NHS dentists had improved "significantly" even in those areas where availability was most difficult.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan has pledged that "everyone who wants NHS dentistry should be able to get it by 31 March 2007".

The BBC research was based on the NHS Direct website.

According to the website, there are currently no new NHS places available in Anglesey, Bridgend, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot or Pembrokeshire.

In counties where spaces are advertised, the wait for an appointment can vary from weeks to months.

In Carmarthenshire, the two practices advertised as accepting NHS patients quote a wait of 12 months.

Queues have formed when new NHS dentists have set up

In Conwy, there are four practices offering treatment on the NHS. One, in Rhos-on-Sea, said there would be a wait of 18 months for a space, which could only be taken by patients receiving benefits.

In contrast, NHS Direct Wales registers 25 practices offering new NHS places in Cardiff, and four in Newport.

Stuart Geddes, director of the British Dental Association in Wales, said he was not surprised at the lack of NHS dentist places.

"Back in April of this year dental services in the UK underwent a quite dynamic change and what has now happened is it's a cash limited system," he said.

Three million pounds of this money was targeted specifically at areas where some patients still have difficulty in accessing an NHS dentist Welsh Assembly Government spokesman

"What is happening is practices are simply running out of money and they're unable to offer care to NHS patients because they don't have the funding to back it up."

The assembly government said many dental places were not advertised on the NHS Direct website and additional places were available.

An assembly government spokesman said: "While access to an NHS dentist in a diminishing area of Wales isn't currently as good as we would wish, we believe that our significant investment of £30m this year will continue improve access to NHS dentistry.

"Three million pounds of this money was targeted specifically at areas where some patients still have difficulty in accessing an NHS dentist.

"This £3m funding will be available every year to ensure local health boards can continues to widen access to NHS dental provision.

Turned away

"Earlier this year, for example, the health minister opened a new dental practice with five dentists in Whitland to provide 12,000 patients in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire with NHS dental treatment."

Dentist shortages in parts of Wales were highlighted back in July 2003 when an estimated 600 people from across mid and west Wales queued outside the Brynteg Dental Surgery in Carmarthen.

But as there were only 300 available places, hundreds of people were turned away.

Similar events have also outside dental surgeries in other parts of Wales.