Cause of current dental crisis (From Western Telegraph)

Cause of current dental crisis

DEAR EDITOR, - I write in response to your report, Dental Woe Raised In Parliament, (January 19th), which highlights the lack of adequate NHS dental services in Pembrokeshire.

Acutely aware of this situation and remembering that this used not to be the case in Pembrokeshire I was prompted by your report to try and uncover what had gone wrong.

The problem was quickly confirmed as a general shortage of qualified dentists in the country, and a significant defection of practising dentists from the NHS into private practice.

It is also possible to trace the root of these difficulties back to 1992, when the then Conservative Government closed two dental schools and re-negotiated the NHS dentist's contract which cut their income by 7%.

This was bitterly resented within the dental profession and continues to encourage dentists to practise within the private sector.

ANTHONY DEVITO 20 Goat Street, Haverfordwest.