IT is claimed that there will be around 112,000 new NHS patient dentist appointments this year.

The Welsh government says that changes made to the NHS dentistry contracts, which have been offered to practices since April, will see 112,000 new NHS patient appointments in the financial year.

The government’s latest data suggests that 109,000 additional appointments have been provided already in the financial year after the change was made, which included a requirement for NHS practices to see new patients.

But there is a warning that missed appointments are still impacting people who need dental treatment most, according to Andrew Dickenson, the chief dental officer for Wales.

NHS Business Services Authority said that last year, 9.4 per cent of all NHS scheduled appointments were lost due to patient non-attendance, which is equivalent to 3.5 hours of clinical time each week.

Mr Dickenson has asked that patients avoid missing appointments and if they are unable to attend, notify the practice in advance, which would allow the practice to rebook the slot for someone else.

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Eluned Morgan, Welsh Government minister for health and social services, said: “We want everyone in Wales to be able to access NHS dental care, if they want it. From this year, we’re providing an additional £2 million a year to support increasing access to dental services throughout Wales.

“I’m really pleased that we’ve already broken the 100,000 extra appointments barrier this year, which shows that our reforms, made in partnership with the industry, are resulting in clear positive outcomes for patients.”

Andrew Dickenson said: “We’ve made great progress since our reforms to NHS dental contract. 78 per cent of practices have by now signed up to the contract variation, which is really bearing fruit in terms of new patient appointments.

“But missed appointments continue to be a real issue, adding up to the equivalent in clinical time of losing 20 full time dentists a year.

“It’s understandable that things come up, meaning people can’t always keep appointments. But my key message is – please “cancel, don’t break” appointments – contact your practice as soon as you know you can’t attend. That way practices can make time for other patients, enabling even more people to get speedier access to dental treatment.”