NORTH Cornwall’s MP has launched a group aiming to help tackle the region’s dental crisis.

Ben Maguire, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, has launched the 'North Cornwall Dental Action Group' with the aim of bringing together dentists, health partners and community organisations from across the constituency to help address the severe lack of NHS dental provision.

The announcement comes after only 30 per cent of adults in Cornwall were able to see an NHS dentist last year, and amidst rising cases of children having to visit A&E for urgent dental treatment. Cornwall has only 38.2 dentists per 100,000 people, ranking it as the fourth lowest in England, according to figures obtained from Healthwatch Cornwall.

The group plans to work closely with The Goods Shed in Wadebridge, where initial ideas are being developed to create a dedicated clinical space for community dental treatment, including facilities for x-rays and treatment chairs. The aim is to support NHS delivery locally, and thereby reduce the number of residents forced to travel or pay privately.

Mr Maguire has expressed that The Dental Action Group is hoping to work alongside local health bodies, universities and dental professionals to explore models used elsewhere, including supervised student clinics and community-based outreach, with the ambition that lessons learned in North Cornwall could be replicated more widely.

Commenting on the announcement, Ben Maguire MP said: "Too many people here in North Cornwall cannot see an NHS dentist, even when they urgently need one, and that is just not good enough. One child was told to either wait six months for urgent treatment with an NHS dentist, or fork out £250 to receive care that very afternoon. It's absolutely shocking - especially considering that Cornwall's ICB underspent its annual budget for dental services by £8-million in one recent year.

"Our new North Cornwall Dental Action Group will focus on practical solutions that can actually be delivered here on the ground. I look forward to working alongside local community groups, dentists themselves, and of course patients in the coming weeks and months, to ensure both children and adults alike here can finally get the dental care they desperately need. I also urge anyone with dentistry expertise to please get in touch via email if you'd like to get involved."

Stephen Knightley, trustee of The Goods Shed in Wadebridge, added: "We very much welcome this positive step in the right direction today and are very keen to play our part. We've seen first-hand how many local families are struggling to get even basic treatment from dentists here at the moment, and our community is in dire need of accessible dental care. We have the space, and the commitment, to help facilitate this at The Goods Shed.

"Working alongside our local MP Ben Maguire and our partners, I am really confident this project can make a real difference and become something the town, and North Cornwall, can genuinely be proud of. This could be a model for the rest of the Duchy."