HEALTH bosses were due to hold a key meeting today to discuss ways of solving the area's dentist crisis.

Last year the area came top in a British Dental Association survey for tooth decay and local MPs have continuously called for the Government to do more about the shortage of dentists.

Representatives from East Lancashire's three primary care trusts will try and come up with solutions to the problem, partly caused by some dentists only accepting private patients.

Just 52 per cent of children and 41 per cent of adults in East Lancashire are currently registered with an NHS dentist, but dental health experts say the problem should be eased with the introduction of new initiatives.

In East Lancashire there are about 175 dentists who have an average of 1,500-2,000 NHS patients each, but none are taking new patients. In 2002 when the Dental Health Centre opened in Rawtenstall, more than 1,500 people lined the street in the first day. Similar scenes were seen in Scarborough last week.

The shortage is a national problem and in a bid to improve the situation the Government has set up a dental support team to help primary care trusts in areas where access is difficult.

Some of the initiatives which will be introduced in East Lancashire in the near future are the introduction of set-up grants for new dentists, early introduction of a new salary structure, training of dental therapists and a partnership with Liverpool University to encourage dental students to take placements in East Lancashire.

Garry Whittle, public dental health consultant for East Lancashire, said: "There is a very big problem. If you are not registered it is exceptionally difficult as there are not any dentists registering NHS patients in East Lancashire at the moment."

From April 2005 responsibility for commissioning dental services will pass from central government to primary care trusts.

The dental budget, currently held centrally, will then be given to local health services to provide services to meet local needs and will simplify the way dentists get paid as instead of being paid per item dentists will receive a salary and expenses.

In order to encourage local dentists to continue with NHS patients they will be offered the new pay structure before 2005.

To attract new dentists, eight students from Liverpool University will be placed in practices in the Burnley and Blackburn areas for four week blocks with the hope they will return after qualifying.

Dental nurses will also be offered training at the university to become dental therapists who can carry out simple dental work such as extractions and fillings.

The 27 month courses will begin in October but dental therapists will be able to carry out supervised procedures before completion of the course.