Dental charges to be frozen in Wales
The Welsh Health Minister is set to announce that dental charges will be frozen at the 2006 level.
Health Minister, Edwina Hart, is expected to make the announcement today; this will be the fifth year in a row that the charges have been frozen. According to health ministers, freezing NHS dental prices makes dental care more accessible and helps to promote regular dental check-ups.
The current system has three price bands, which relate to the complexity of the treatment; band 1 treatments cost £12, band 2 treatments cost £39 and band 3 treatments cost £177. The cost of emergency treatment will also be frozen at £12. Dental treatment is considerably cheaper in Wales than England.
Edwina Hart said that freezing the price bands would enable more people to visit their dentist and subsequently make dental care accessible for people of all backgrounds and incomes. In recent years, money has been ploughed into NHS dental services across Wales but ministers admit that there is still work to be done in certain areas of the country; as well as opening new clinics and surgeries, ministers are also keen to get people more involved in oral health and improve education about oral hygiene and the dangers of poor oral health.
Stuart Geddes, director of the British Dental Association in Wales said that the price freeze was good news for dental patients and hopes that the move will encourage more people to visit their dentist on a regular basis.
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