Tens of thousands of newly-available NHS dental appointments are now available in one part of Wales.
Health leaders in Swansea Bay are attempting to catch up on backlogs, according to a BBC report.
It suggests that dental practices are expected to see an extra 28,000 new patients between April 2022 and April 2023.
Since April this year, more than 14,300 dental appointment have gone to ‘new patients’ who have not visited the dentist in four years.
Swansea Bay health board director of primary care, Sharon Miller, said there is a ‘real focus on new patients being seen’.
This comes as Wales struggles to improve access to NHS dental care.
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Pandemic backlog
Before the pandemic hit in early 2020, around 2.3 million courses of treatment were completed each year by NHS Wales dentists.
Just 544,755 courses of adult treatment were recorded in 2020-21, marking a drop of 76.7%.
The NHS dental crisis continues to impact all areas across the UK.
In a recent interview with Dentistry.co.uk, dentist Nishma Sharma opened up about why a united front is the only answer to the NHS challenges ahead.
She argues that the current cost of living crisis is having a profound impact on patients and dental teams alike.
‘The impact is significant, extensive and affects everyone. This includes private patients, NHS patients and dental teams up and down the country,’ she said.
‘I work both within the NHS and privately and I am seeing worrying trends in both cohorts.’
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