Obtaining dental treatment on the NHS is becoming increasingly difficult across our communities. Chris Semple reports on the growing problems in Winchester...

RESIDENTS across the Winchester area are in the grip of a dental crisis.

Hundreds of patients are struggling to get treatment on the NHS as more and more dentists go private and others close their books.

Only one surgery in the city is

currently taking on new patients, and even they say they are unsure how long they can continue to do that.

If you do manage to get on their books, the earliest date you can get for a check-up is April next year.

Across the region the picture is equally bleak, despite government promises to inject more cash into dental health.

Only one dentist is open to new NHS patients in Alresford, one in Eastleigh and three in Southampton, while in Romsey there are none at all.

Much of the problem has been caused by dentists switching from NHS paid-for care, to care paid for by private dental insurance companies like Denplan.

One of those deeply concerned at the plight of NHS dental patients is Winchester MP Mark Oaten.

He said: "The way things are going there will be no NHS dentists left in the region within a couple of years. While there is nothing wrong with private schemes like Denplan, you need to have some NHS dentists for people who didn't want to go private.

"What this Labour government have done is they have taken away free eye and dental check-ups and bit by bit these services are disappearing from the NHS.

"I'm concerned that public money is being used to help establish new NHS dental surgeries, only for them to turn private a couple of years later when they've got all their new customers and their books are full."

Earlier this year the Daily Echo reported how the number of NHS dental practices in Hampshire had slumped from 565 to 431 in just one year, though no figures are available on how many patients are now without a dentist.

In the Winchester district, which is covered by the Mid-Hampshire Primary Care Trust, health chiefs say there are currently 23 dentists who are treating NHS patients, including 12 in Winchester, two in Colden Common, two in Whitchurch, three in Alresford, one in Bishop's Waltham and four in Andover. However a spokesman for the trust said that while there was a problem, they were making great efforts to improve the situation.

Karen Ashton, director of primary and community care at Mid-Hants PCT, said: "We've been working to actively increase dental access in the Mid-Hampshire area.

"This includes securing £120,000 of dental access funding from the Department of Health to register 6,700 new NHS patients.

"We've also launched three new Personal Dental Services (PDS) in the last two months, which offer an agreed level of NHS activity and are hoping to offer three more PDS shortly."

Tony Lynn, dental practice advisor to the Strategic Health Authority for Mid and North Hampshire, added that the problems were not something that could be solved overnight.

He said: "There is clearly an ongoing problem with NHS dentistry which has been going on for the last few years.

"At the end of the day it comes down to manpower. I know of practices that have placed adverts for dentists to fill gaps in their surgery to which they have had no replies.

"There have also been attempts to bring in people from abroad, and there's a longer-term plan to train up more dentists, but it simply takes time."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said the government was looking to increase NHS spending by £368m and was planning a 'radical reform' to dentistry.

From next October, control of the NHS dental budget will be given to local primary care trusts (PCTs) rather than staying under the direction of central government. Health chiefs also say they will be changing the way dentists are employed by PCTs, so that rather than a surgery being paid for every patient it sees, it will instead be commissioned by the PCT to provide care for people in the area.

Health Secretary John Reid MP said in a statement to the Daily Echo he recognised that not everyone who wanted to register with an NHS dentist was able to do so and that he has announced the biggest reform in dentistry since 1948.

Mr Reid said an extra £368m would be pumped in and by next October a further 1,000 NHS dentists will be recruited to help treat an extra two million people.

WHAT do you think? Are you struggling to find a dentist? We want to hear your comments on the issue. Call Winchester reporter Chris Semple on 01962 854355 or e-mail using the link above.

DENTISTS IN THE REGION TAKING ON NHS PATIENTS:

Winchester: Caroline Armitage, 94 Oliver's Battery Road South, 01962 877877 (next appointment is April 2005).

Alresford: Mr Fellows, 38 West Street, 01962 733173.

Romsey: None.

Eastleigh: The Apex Dental Care Centre, visit 115 Leigh Road for further details.

Lordshill: Brendan Pinto, Lordshill Health Centre, 023 8073 8917.

Shirley: Stardent Practice, 31 St Edmunds Road, 023 8078 7080.

Swaythling: Mr Olavi, 314 Burgess Road, 023 8067 2472.

For further details on NHS dentists, you can call the Dental Helpline on 023 8033 8336.