Welsh politicians call for an end to the dental ‘drought’

29 May 2024

The lack of available services, especially in rural areas, has resulted in Wales being labelled a “dental desert”. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the government to improve access.

According to the Powys Teaching Health Board figures, 4,295 adults are waiting to see a dentist. In Cardiff and the Vale, 15,500 people are waiting to be allocated a dentist.

The party has called for an end to this dental drought and urged voters to send a “powerful message” to the government to prioritise dentistry.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have outlined their priorities for solving the crisis, which include better recruitment and retention of dentists and more support for local services.

Jane Dodds, party leader, also highlighted their success in getting the Welsh Government to implement a national waiting list system that allows health boards to assign patients to dentists quickly.

Jane said, “The lack of available dentist services has effectively turned parts of Wales into a dental desert.

“People in Wales are desperately trying to access an NHS dentist with over 4,000 adults still waiting for access to care in rural Powys alone and even in urban areas like Cardiff, thousands are languishing on waiting lists.

“This election will give voters here in Wales the opportunity to send a powerful message to the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay and the UK Conservative Government in London, both of which have utterly failed to get to grips with this issue.

“We want to end this drought in services by taking direct action in resolving this crisis, by recruiting and retaining more dentists and investing in local services.

“We as a party have already successfully pushed for a national waiting list system, which will allow health boards to assign a patient to a dentist more quickly.

“The implementation of a national waiting list is just the first step in our journey of delivering a better dental service to the people of Wales.”