Dental Patient Numbers Reach An All-Time High In Bradford
Figures recently published show that more people than ever are being treated by NHS dentists in Bradford and Airedale.
New figures released in a Health and Social Care Information Centre report show an increase in dental visits between 2006 and 2011. In March 2006 53.6 per cent of adults in the region had seen an NHS dentist within the previous 24 months; in March 2011, this figure had increased to 54.9 per cent of the population.
The number of children visiting their dentist has also increased; the figure increased from 64.7 per cent in 2006 to 70 per cent in 2011.
Catherine Thatcher, deputy director of primary care at NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds, said that the trust has been working very hard to try and improve access to dental services and encourage patients to attend regular dental visits. Four new practices have opened in the area and the trust successfully bid for additional funding from the government, which was used to provide people who had not had a check-up within the last two years to see their dentist for an examination free of charge.
Anyone who is interested in finding out about local dental services is encouraged to visit the NHS Choices website; patients who are currently on the waiting list will be allocated a practice as soon as possible.
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