The Welsh Government has set up a digital Dental Access Portal for people to register their interest in NHS dental services and for health boards to allocate places for routine treatment.
It said the central platform will provide a clear picture of the scale of demand for NHS dental services and save people from calling multiple surgeries to try to find an NHS dentist.
The portal will be run by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).
Users have to be aged over 16, not have received routine dental treatment on the NHS in the past four years, and to live at an address in Wales for more than six months in a year or attend a Welsh GP practice.
Improving access
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Access to NHS dentistry is not where we or the public want it to be. This new service will help people who may not have seen a dentist for some time get access to routine NHS appointments.
“Since the trial began in Powys, thousands of people have already been added to the list and will be allocated an NHS dentist as appointments become available.”
He added: “Capturing this information in one place will have enormous benefits, it will provide health boards with a clear understanding of need in their area and enable them to manage the allocation of people to dental practices as capacity allows.”
