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Wiganers can't find NHS dentist
Hundreds of Wiganers are struggling to find a NHS dentist - last year more than 170 people complained to the Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) about the lack of dental services in the area.
Figures released by CAB have revealed that they receive between 13 to 15 complaints per month from local people frustrated by the time they have to wait to see an NHS dentist, or those who cannot register with a dentist at all.
And the bureau has revealed that 80 per cent of people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds have no access to a dentist in the area.
Chris Harris, manager of Wigan CAB, said: "We estimate that up to 15 people out of the 400 who come to us every month have a complaint about Wigan's dental service.
"That may not seem like such a huge figure, but these figures still point out to me that this is a fairly significant problem in the borough.
"Most of those who do make these complaints argue that they cannot find a family dentist in the way they can find a family doctor."
A spokesman from Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust, said: "The PCT Board will this month be considering a proposal to increase access to NHS dental services.
"If approved this will provide access to regular dental treatment for approximately 8,600 additional patients."
A survey commissioned nationally by CAB revealed that lack of access has prevented one in six people from seeing an NHS dentist for almost two years.
But North West NHS bosses have refuted the claim, saying that 60 per cent of the region's population have visited their dentist in that time compared to 55 per cent for England as a whole.
Wiganers have mixed feelings towards the level of dental care they receive.
Worsley Mesnes resident Tracy Green is among those not impressed with the health of dental service in her home town.
She said: "Although I am registered, getting an appointment is near enough impossible. It can take anything up to three weeks to get an appointment, if not longer than that."
But fellow Wiganer Gary Palk believes that people make harsh judgements about the borough's dental service.
Gary said: "I've been to the dentist this week and only had to call them a day before the appointment to book it."
Katie Malone, from Abram, is registered with a dental practice in the town centre.
She said: "Quite a lot of my friends are still waiting to find a dentist after doing a lot of searching. Luckily I'm registered with an NHS dentist and have never had to wait long to get an appointment."
Darren Green is equally enthusiast about dental services in the area. The 34-year-old from Marsh Green said: "I recently had a tooth abscess and needed an appointment from my NHS dentist. I was pleased that I was able to get one quickly and I've got no complaints about the service."
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Weather for Wigan
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
