Cerys Rees will train at Cardiff University's dental school

Cerys Rees from Llandysul, will receive more than �2,000 a year when she starts dental school in Cardiff next month.

But it is on condition she returns to work in Ceredigion for at least five years after her five-year training.

A lack of NHS dentists in rural part of Wales has seen long queues of patients with others living near the border being allowed to sign up in England.

Earlier this month, hundreds of people queued from early in the morning outside a dentist in Denbighshire, after it opened for new registrations for just one day.

Similar scenes have been played out in Machynlleth and Carmarthen where, in 2003, 600 people queued to take up NHS places on offer at a new practice in the town.

Scenes of hundreds queuing outside surgeries are no uncommon

In Ceredigion, the Local Health Board (LHB) said last year that a lack of dentists would be exacerbated because 44% of current practitioners were due to retire in the next 10 years.

Miss Rees said the money from Ceredigion LHB - funding three students per year for the duration of their training course - would be a "great help" as fees for her course at Cardiff University's dental school amount to �30,000.

Mary Griffiths, chair of Ceredigion LHB, said: "The dental bursary scheme has been developed by the LHB to provide extra financial assistance for our young students.

"It is extremely important to support and help young people from the area whenever we can. I am very pleased for Cerys and I look forward to seeing her in her own practice when she qualifies."

Personal dental schemes

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

According to the British Dental Association's national director in Wales, Stuart Geddes, salaries for dental practitioners in Wales were already about �2,500 higher than those in England.

Those who train them receive about �1,500 more than those in England, he said.

In April, the Welsh Assembly Government announced an extra �5m aimed at keeping dentists in the NHS.

The money was to pay for "personal dental schemes," which would allow dentists and local health boards to introduce local contract arrangements.