DENTAL CARE UNDER THREAT.

Byline: Abby Alford

PEOPLE in pain are being turned away by overworked dentists, it has been revealed.

Ogmore AM Janice Gregory, health watch-dog Bridgend Community Health Council (CHC) and the British Dental Association (BDA) claim a lack of practices offering NHS care in the Bridgend area means an increasing number of patients are losing out because of overburdened dentists.

And they are calling on the National Assembly to take action before the situation further deteriorates.

Mrs Gregory has told Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt: ``There is a shortage of NHS dentists in the Ogmore constituency, which is a serious matter of concern for local people. Current dentists are often over-subscribed and cope very well under immense pressure but with further housing developments this may get worse if action is not taken.''

Her view is backed up by Gordon Harrop, chief officer of Bridgend CHC, who highlighted the problem in the organisation's annual report.

``It is very clear that there are too few dentists available or willing to offer NHS care and problems of capacity are worse in the most deprived areas of Bridgend,'' he said.

Nicola Hall, of the Hall and Beynon practice in Pencoed, said that she has a huge and ever-growing list of patients. ``I see around 45 patients a day,'' she said. ``The demand is more really but there are only so many hours in a day. I have worked in this area since 1983 and things are progressively getting worse.'' Stuart Geddes, secretary of the BDA in Wales, said the grant scheme for dentists offered by the assembly was inadequate and called on the assembly to give large capital grants to entice dentists to set up practices in Wales.

He added that NHS fees for dentists should also rise as an increasing number are seeing only private patients. He added: ``I am very serious when I say that unless the way in which the NHS practices are remunerated changes, in the next five years there will not be an NHS dental service in Wales.''

An assembly spokeswoman said it would continue to assist health authorities. She added: ``It has enabled Welsh health authorities to offer unprecedented levels of funding to dentists prepared to open new or expand existing practices in areas such as Bridgend.''