DENTAL services in Bolton have undergone a major overhaul following a ruling banning dentists giving general anaesthetics.

In November, dentists across the country were stopped from administering anaesthetics because of a number of highly-publicised deaths.

This meant Wigan and Bolton Health Authority had to provide alternatives for patients needing complex dental work which requires a general anaesthetic.

Such anaesthetics are now given at the Royal Bolton Hospital and at Lever Chambers for Health by the community dental team.

Colwyn Jones, Dental Health Promotion Specialist with Wigan and Bolton Health Authority explained: "Anyone though who has a dental problem must first go to see their own dentist, it is up to them to decide what form of treatment a patient requires."

Although general anaesthetics are still available at each of these sites and fully-qualified anaesthetists are employed to administer them, the health authority is working to encourage patients to try alternative means of sedation. It is believed that 97 pc of children who previously had a general anaesthetic could now be treated using conscious sedation.

This involves breathing in a mixture of gases, similar to those inhaled by women during labour, which induces a relaxed sensation and means dentists can carry out extractions and other such complex work without the need for a general anaesthetic.

Although an injection is still needed, children are not "put under."

Intravenous sedation may now be administered to adults by giving an injection in the hand or arm of an adult and a more advanced form of valium again induces a relaxed sensation.

Work can then be carried out on a patient, again without them being unconscious.

Mr Jones added: "There will always be people who need an anaesthetic but people should not be given one unless they absolutely need it and there is an argument that too many were given before these revised guidelines were issued by the General Dental Council."

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