Cornish councillors call for more NHS dentists
Local councillors for Cornwall have been calling for an increase in access to NHS dentistry for the region’s residents.
The bosses have demanded that PCT health chiefs bring about more changes despite the opening of a new practice in Penzance which will cater for around 4,000 sore-mouthed patients.
Jan Ruhrmund, Deputy mayor of Penzance, said that West Cornwall was suffering acutely because limited access to NHS oral care and claimed that something needed to be done that met the entire populations dental health needs.
Councillor (Cllr) Margaret Freeman called NHS dental care a national scandal and said that it was a big problem in Cornwall.
On the other hand Cllr Caroline White believes that NHS dental care is slowly improving in the region.
Ms White said that there was a still a financial disparity between good and bad dental care but claimed that Peninsula Medical School was bringing dental students to Cornwall and that, in the long run, this could have a significant positive affect on the oral health of the local population.
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