Dental helpline helps thousands in Devon
A dental helpline run by a non-profit organisation has helped thousands of people in Devon, it has been revealed.
The helpline, which is run by Devon Dental, deals with around 1,000 telephone calls per month and has offered advice to thousands of people in the local area; the helpline has also helped to boost registration numbers in the area, as many people were unaware that NHS places were available until they called the helpline.
Health bosses revealed that 60,000 people in the area had not seen a dentist in the last five years; however, they say that they have managed to increase registration numbers by 20 percent and are working to further improve the situation.
Andrew Harris, from NHS Devon, said that many people assume that there are no NHS dental places available and therefore they do not bother to try and register with a local dentist. The helpline has provided relevant information for people and directed them towards practices with available places. According to Mr Harris, there are currently 38 practices in the Sidmouth area taking on new patients.
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