Access to dental services is improving in Reading, according to an expert, despite less than 50 per cent of people going to an appointment over two years.
Professionals and Reading Borough councillors recently received a report on access to dental services in the town.
Statistics show that 49.46 per cent - 80,018 residents - had attended NHS dental services at the end of September this year.
A professional has claimed that access is rising. The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire (BOB) Integrated Care Board (ICB) is in charge of planning and delivering healthcare services in the three counties.
Hugh O'Keefe, senior programme manager of pharmacy, optometry and dental services at the BOB ICB said: "The situation is still improving in terms of access, the rate of recovery in Reading is a little bit ahead of the wider ICB.
"About 50 per cent of the population had attended a dentist in the previous two years at the end of September."
The BOB ICB is responsible for paying for NHS dental services to make oral care free at the point of access.
Mr O'Keefe revealed that the Inspire dental practice at 124 Oxford Road is the biggest in BOB in terms of units of dental activity (UDAs) delivered.
The practice was paid to deliver 59,263 UDAs in 2023/24, but actually delivered 64,892.06 in that year.
The report admitted that the BOB is facing difficulties encouraging dentists to take on NHS patients.
For example, The Castle Hill dental practice handed back its contract to serve NHS patients in September last year.
Ruth McEwan (Labour, Church), lead councillor for Public Health said: "Dental issues and treatment is a huge concern for residents in Reading, and it's raised by constituents frequently.
"It's good to know Reading has the highest level of deliveries amongst the eight local authorities within the BOB, which is very good.
"We are still not where we need to be in terms of appointments, and people are struggling to get appointments. We are all aware of that."
Meanwhile, the Reading Green Party has been campaigning for access to dental procedures on the NHS to be widened, as their research in June 2023 showed that no dentists were taking on new NHS patients in Reading at the time.
READ MORE: Greens push for action as Reading becomes 'a dentist desert'
Cllr Doug Cresswell (Green, Katesgrove) said: "While these things are welcome, they don't seem to be making a big dent on the problem.
"According to the GP Annual Survey, of people in the last two years who tried to access an NHS dentist, only 70 per cent were successful, that's national.
"I don't what the number is locally, but it's not a high figure, and I don't know of any other public service where a 70 per cent access rate would be seen as acceptable.
"I certainly count myself in the 30 per cent." He then called the lack of access to an NHS dentist "the elephant in the room."
The figures were reported to the council's adult social care, children's services and education committee on October 16.
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