A BURNLEY student dentist travelling to Peru for work experience says the South American country's dental problems put East Lancashire's into perspective.

As East Lancashire suffers a desperate shortage of NHS dentists, Burnley student Louise Thompson will next week meet Peruvians who have had to wait up to seven years for treatment.

As part of her dentistry degree, the 21-year-old is travelling to South America on Monday to take part in Dental Project Peru.

For two months, the former St Hilda's RC High School pupil will work for the charity administering dental care. She said: "For the project we are encouraged to work abroad and I wanted to do something in a third world country as it would be totally different from dentistry in Britain.

"I will be working in the Apurimac region in the Andes. The region has about 35,000 people and there are only two dentists there. Some people have to wait seven years before they see a dentist." And the fourth year student at the University of Sheffield is hoping to raise £500 for the charity which provides emergency dental care and provisions such as anaesthetic, needles and gloves to those in need of treatment.

She added: "The charity is trying to raise £10,000 to buy equipment like anaesthetic and needles. There are a lot of fizzy drinks in Peru and there is a problem with tooth decay.

"It is a vast area and it is quite hard to get to people in remote areas." To donate money to Dental Project Peru, contact Louise Thompson on 01282 438458.