AN Okehampton town councillor has warned that the lack of an NHS dentist in the town will lead to many people not getting the regular check-ups and dental treatment they need. Cllr Hyder Ali Pirwany said: ?It is a regrettable fact that there is no NHS dentist in town. Only those who are working or have a nice bank balance can afford the cost of private dental treatment.? Cllr Pirwany said he telephoned NHS Direct to ask where the nearest NHS dentist to his home in Okehampton was and he was told the closest practice was in Tavistock, 17 miles away. Cllr Pirwany said: ?For all the pronouncements of Tony Blair there is a severe dearth of NHS dentists in Devon and Cornwall.? He said he feared the problem would be exacerbated from April 1, when new dentists? contracts which were being forced through by the government were being introduced. Cllr Pirwany said he was calling on the MPs of Devon and Cornwall to take steps to address the problem. Nick Pearson, communications manager for Mid Devon Primary Care Trust, said the health authority was ?forging forward? with its plans to get people who wanted an NHS dentist registered. He said people who wished to find an NHS dentist should contact NHS Direct or the PCT itself, who kept an up-to-date register of dentists who can take on new patients. ?We would hope access to dentists would be widened as a result of the changes,? Mr Pearson said. He added it was too early to give a clear picture of what the effect would be as the new contracts did not come into place until April 1. ?It is a problem we are aware of and are making every effort to tackle it. ?The PCT is leading the way in terms of the percentage of people registered in the South West, with 60 per cent of people registered with an NHS dentist in Mid Devon.? Anyone who would like help finding an NHS dentist can contact the PCT to be added to their register on the e-mail address: [email protected]">[email protected] or by writing to Dentistry, Mid Devon PCT, Newcourt House, Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 7JU.
