Dental care solution could be 'radical'

Changes needed to 'antiquated' system says Minister

Talks to find an effective solution to dental provision in the Island are continuing.

It's after grievances were made public by NHS dentists, who said they could not meet patient demand due to a lack of funding from the health department.

Only 40% of local patients currently have access to NHS care - the majority must pay for it privately.

Dentistry is allocated a fixed budget of £4.2 million by government, which makes spending per capita 57% higher than the UK average.

Health Minister David Ashford admits changes are needed to the 'antiquated' funding system, and says the cost would decrease if patients could 'access treatment when they needed it'.