Montgomeryshire needs greater dental care. That was the view today from local AM, Mick Bates.

Speaking ahead of polling day for the Welsh Assembly elections on May 3rd, the Welsh Liberal Democrat said:

"Montgomeryshire is fast becoming a dental desert. Many people in the area have no regular access to a dentist and if nothing is done the situation may get worse.

"Everyone needs to have access to a dentist. In order to achieve this aim we need to seriously invest in the service. We should start by providing grants for dentists wishing to set up practices in rural areas and increase the use of mobile dentists.

"We need to raise awareness of the importance of dentistry to our children. Welsh Liberal Democrats want to give every child aged 4-5 years a toothbrush and toothpaste and include oral healthcare with early years education. On top of that we want to employ salaried dentists to do school check-ups, focusing on dental health prevention.

"We also need to make the best use of our resources. Dental Hygienists and therapists are trained to do much of the routine work currently done by dentists. Let's make best use of their skills and ease the burden on the dentists.

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to dentistry in Wales. We want to see people in rural Wales have the best possible dental service, both in the community and in the school. We want to see an end to the fast approaching dental desert."


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