THE head of a group formed to get a better deal for East Lancashire patients today called for more dental schools to be opened to combat the area's chronic dentistry crisis.
Derek Holmes, chairman of the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust's Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum, has called for more dental and nursing schools to help arrest the problems of residents finding a NHS dentist.
The move comes after Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced an additional £7million of funding to tackle the problem across the North West.
From October, 2005, NHS dentists will have to treat more patients and the minister also said dentists will be drafted in from oversees.
Mr Holmes said the decision to recruit foreign dentists was interesting but said more had to be done to find a long-term solution including promoting the profession in schools.
He said: "There is an urgent need for more dental schools .
"In addition, secondary schools need to actively promote chemistry as a core subject for pupils who might consider entering dentistry."
Across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale 156,000 people out of a population of 248,865 are either not registered with a NHS dentist or are registered with a private practice.
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