HEALTH experts today revealed that two proposed drop-in surgeries could solve the crippling shortage of dentists in decay-ridden East Lancashire.

The plan has been given the green light by the Department of Health which was impressed by East Lancashire Health Authority's bid.

Public health bosses want to open drop-in centres in Blackburn and Nelson this autumn to treat patients who are unable to register with an NHS dentist.

The Blackburn centre will be at Queen's Park Hospital in a new out-of-hours medical centre which is being developed.

The centre in Nelson will probably be in the Whitefield area which does not have a single dentist to serve its population of 2,500.

The Department of Health has given outline approval to the application and asked the health authority to submit a more detailed bid.

Dr Gary Whittle, East Lancashire's dental public health consultant, said: "In October the health authority submitted a bid to the Department of Health to develop two centres for registering patients.

"People will be able to attend without an appointment and have their immediate problem - whether it be toothache or an abcess - treated. "In the Whitefield area of Nelson there is no dentist at all and there is a population of 2,500. People have to walk into the town centre."

The Whitefield area is one of the poorest areas of East Lancashire - which has one of the worst dental health records in the UK - and the service would be run by the Burnley NHS Trust.

The Blackburn centre will be managed by the Matterson Dental Practice, Bolton Road, Ewood.

The schemes are among several Personal Dental Service pilot schemes which were announced by Health Minister Lord Hunt yesterday .

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