ONLY four out of 57 dentists in North Wales are currently taking on new patients according to research completed by an MS. 

The information collated by Sam Rowlands MS has identified 'a crisis' in the availability of NHS dentists in North Wales.  

Of the 57 dentists Mr Rowlands contacted, only four dentists were taking on new patients.

The research was commended by the Labour Health Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS.

Only last week, Ms Dodds said dentistry in north Wales was on 'life support' and called for major improvements.

Now Mr Rowlands, commenting after his contribution in the Senedd on Wednesday, said: “This research has produced shocking results and it should serve as a real wakeup call for the Labour Government here in Cardiff Bay.

"Only four of the 57 dentists I contacted in North Wales were accepting new NHS patients.

“The sheer scale of this crisis cannot be underestimated - NHS dentistry in North Wales is edging closer to extinction.

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“Of those four dentists taking on new NHS patients, some had a waiting list of up to two years.

“This is unacceptable and is denying people in North Wales their right to access NHS dental health services.

"The Labour Governments dental reforms must fix the inaccessibility of NHS Dental Services across Wales, if not, they will face a complete collapse – with people’s dental health in Wales suffering as a result.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We continue to work the BDA to encourage dental practices to collaborate through the national dental contract to best respond to the needs of their communities.

“We provide annual funding of £2 million to improve access to NHS dentistry and allow health boards to fund local dental services.”