Ceredigion LHB says 44% of its practitioners will retire in 10 years

Ceredigion Local Health Board (LHB) says the scheme will help ease the problems of recruitment and retention of dentists.

It intends to fund three per year for the duration of their five-year courses.

But once qualified they will have to work in the NHS in the county for five years.

"By providing dental students with a bursary for the duration of their training, this will ensure Ceredigion has a supply of up and coming dentists returning to Ceredigion to work in NHS practices," said Sam Small of Ceredigion LHB.

"The recruitment and retention of dentists within Ceredigion, currently and historically, has proven to be very difficult.

"Ceredigion has a major rurality issue which detracts student dentists from coming to and settling in the county.

"Each student who receives the bursary will be expected to return to Ceredigion within two years of qualifying and practice NHS dentistry for a period of five years."

The LHB says the lack of NHS dentists in the county will be exacerbated because 44% of current practitioners are due to retire in the next 10 years.

'Salaries higher'

It adds that undergraduates from 14 of the UK's dental schools can apply for the cash sweetener of approximately �2,500 per year.

Conwy Local Health Board runs a similar scheme in north Wales.

Hundreds queued to register for a dentist in Machynlleth in May

The British Dental Association's national director in Wales, Stuart Geddes, welcomed the move by the LHB.

"Salaries for dental practitioners in Wales are already about �2,500 higher than those in England," Mr Geddes said.

"And those who train them receive about �1,500 more than those in England.

"This is a good idea and since students find themselves in increasing debt once they qualify, the bursary could pay their course fees each year.

"A similar scheme run by the old North Wales Health Authority was successful. There are also similar bursary schemes in other remote areas such as the Highlands of Scotland."

Mr Geddes added: "I think the bursary will also encourage those students from less affluent families who are put off by the five-year dental course."

Earlier this month, Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt announced that the number of dental training places in Wales was to increase by 17%.

The details of the �1.5m funding follows a �5.3m announcement in May.

Many rural areas of Wales have difficulty recruiting NHS dentists. Some patients have to travel miles for appointments.

The extent of the shortage of dentists in some areas of rural Wales became evident in July 2003, when 600 people queued to take up NHS places on offer at a new practice in Carmarthen.

In May, more than 100 people queued from daybreak in Machynlleth to register with a new NHS dentist.