HEALTH Minister Rosie Winterton is to visit East Lancashire to examine the area's crisis in National Health Service dentistry.

She has promised to go to Hyndburn and possibly other parts of the sub-region to see what can be done to improve its appalling record of dental health.

Just 52 per cent of children and 41 per cent of adults in East Lancashire are currently registered with an NHS dentist and no practices are adding to their lists, as they are already at capacity.

In February, Tim Bird, who recently moved to Sawley, told how his family must travel 35 miles to their NHS dentist.

And Gaynor and Geoffrey Taylor, of Brierfield, make an 80-mile round trip to their nearest dentist in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester.

The minister's decision to arrange the trip at a date yet to be decided follows representations by Labour MP Greg Pope.

The Hyndburn Labour bakcbencher said: "It is now almost impossible to register as an NHS patient with any dental practice in the East Lancs area. People who either phone NHS Direct or access it online are being directed to practices many miles away."

Mr Pope met Mark Wilkinson, the chief executive of Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Primary Care Trust last month to discuss discuss the dentistry crisis.

Last week he had a meeting with Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State at the Department of Health for further talks and she offered to come to Hyndburn to see for herself the problem and help work on a solution.

Mr Pope said: "Sorting this out really is a top priority.

"Barely a day goes by when I am not approached by constituents deeply distressed at the lack of NHS dental provision in my constituency.

"You can imagine how parents might feel when their children have toothache but can't find a dentist prepared to take them on as NHS patients.

"I know that the PCT is doing all it can to attract new dental practices to the area which could take NHS patients, and the Minister was very supportive when I met her to discuss the problem. "