Patients in Aberystwyth Face Near-90 Mile Round Trip to See Dentist

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The British Dental Association warned that some patients face a postcode lottery in Wales, with some patients facing a 90-mile round trip to get a check-up.

In total, £20 million has been reduced from Welsh dental services over the past three years, which has led to just 15% of Welsh NHS dental clinics accepting new patients.

The Welsh BDA has pinned the blame for this on NHS’ dental contracting system, which means that if dental practitioners cannot meet targets on dental activity and procedures undertaken, funding can be returned back to health boards, which leads to an effective cap on how many patients a dentist can treat. Chair of BDA’s Wales General Dental Committee, Tom Bysouth, said that it was families who were paying the price for what he calls a “failed system”.

Whilst Aberystwyth has hit the headlines, people in Newtown also face 80-mile journeys and even in Cardiff there are patients who are required to travel nearly 30 miles to see a dentist.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government noted their disappointment at BDA Wales’ failure to recognise changes that have been made to dental contracts. The reform process is one that BDA Wales is playing a part in, and the Welsh Government also noted that how much access there is to dental services fluctuates on a regular basis based on how many patients an individual practice can treat. They finally noted that they want to progress further towards a situation where everyone in Wales can get access to NHS dental care.

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