Three-month waiting list for NHS dentists
8:59am Friday 21st January 2011 in News
PEOPLE without an NHS dentist face a wait of up to three months because of a shortage of places.
A Bolton News investigation discovered there are more than 2,000 patients on the waiting list for a NHS dentist in the town, and it will be an average of two to three months before they can get access to one.
Health chiefs say they are working hard to tackle the issue.
The town has a poor performance on dental health among children, with the most recent figures, from 2007 and 2008, showing the average five-year-old had 1.91 missing, decayed or filled teeth, compared to a national average of 1.11.
There are 2,066 people in the town on the waiting list for an NHS dentist and 994 do not have a dentist or have not seen one within the last two years.
NHS Bolton, the primary care trust which oversees local health services, says people wait different lengths of time.
Some people are happy to see any dentist in Bolton, being allocated one sooner, with others specifying a practice or area. Anyone looking to move practices will have to wait a lot longer.
Priority is given to those who have not seen a dentist in the last two years.
An NHS Bolton spokesman said: “We recognise there is demand for dentists in Bolton.
“Significant investment has been made as part of our commitment to deliver year on year improvements in access to dental services.
“Dental practices have recently been commissioned by us to see 750 more patients over the next two months, this is in addition to the 500 places to give to patients each month.”
NHS Bolton has been running a dental waiting list since September 1 to make sure patients get access to a dentist quickly and efficiently. Anyone wanting an NHS dentist should contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 01204 462701 or email pals@bolton.nhs.uk.
They will be put on the list and contacted when a place becomes available.
If the patient has dental pain, swelling or bleeding they should contact the rotational occasional treatment service, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, on 01204 463515. You can also get information about evening and weekend emergency dental services.
