BY CONOR SHARKEY
DENTAL practices in Strabane are being crippled due to the shortage of surgeons signing up to take on NHS patients in the North West.
The extent of the problems facing local practices was revealed following the announcement of Monday of a £4.4 million investment to help alleviate Northern Ireland's dental crisis.
Currently, only a handful of practices in the North West area are admitting NHS clients, with the biggest percentage opting for private patients only.
The shortage has left several practices in the Strabane area under severe pressure, with surgeons working from early morning to late evening and even weekends in a bid to clear the backlog.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey announced on Monday that £4.4 milion is to be pumped into improving Northern Ireland's dental practices and equipment and employing salaried NHS dentists.
Funding has been provided for six NHS dentists for the North West, however it is not yet clear if any of those will practice in Strabane.
Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle on Tuesday, local dental surgeon Graham Robinson, who treats both NHS and private patients, said that there simply was not enough dentists practicing in the west.
"The problem is that most dentist's books are full to capacity. At present I have five to six thousand patients and anyone seeking an appointment is probably looking at a month's wait.
"I try to accomodate everyone who comes to me for treatment, but when you take more and more on, it simply becomes impossible," he said.
While denying there is currently a dental crisis in Northern Ireland, Mr Robinson admitted that on occasion he has had to close his books due to demand.
"I try not to turn anyone away, but I also try and give priority to families and relatives who come to me for treatment. But sometimes when the appointment book gets full, you just have to stop."
Commenting on the £4.4 million funding package, Mr Robinson said it should go some way towards alleviating the problem.
"It will pay for a lot of salaried dentists and there simply isn't enough. And the further west you go, the worse the problem is.
"It largely comes down to the fact that dental students are trained in Queen's University and they tend to stay in Belfast.
"There just isn't enough incentives out there to attract dentists to this area of Northern Ireland and only when all the positions East of the Bann are filled up do students come to the North West looking for work," he explained.
Mr Robinson revealed that at present he sometimes works as late as 9pm treating patients.
"It is an extremely stressful job and at the moment we are stretched to our limits. The government simply aren't doing enough to attract graduating students into doing NHS work and it is something that needs to be addressed," he said.
WHSSB Director of Dental Health Judith McGaffin agreed that the investment windfall could encourage more dentists to practice in the North West.
"Obviously news of this investment has to be welcomed, and it is great to see so much being pumped into improving dental practices.
"I'm also delighted that funding has been given for the employment of six salaried NHS dentists. The next step will be to find the areas of greatest need.
"I can't yet say if that will mean Strabane because conditions are changing all the time, but they will definitely be prioritised into the areas where they are needed most at present.
"It is well known that people across the Western Board are having problems securing an appointment with an NHS dentist, but I would be confident that through the training allowance that this funding will provide we can begin to increase the number of salaried dentists in this area and hopefully address the dental shortage," she said.
'It is an extremely stressful job and at the moment we are stretched to our limits.' - Graham Robinson, dentist
