FAMILIES are waiting more than two years to find an NHS Dentist in York, according to a health campaign group.

Healthwatch York has revealed how some people are on a three year waiting list to see a dentist, some have to travel outside of York to see one, while others avoid getting treatment because they cannot afford private fees.

The group, which investigates a range of issues on behalf of patients, is devoting resources to look into the problems.

Sian Balsom, a manager at Healthwatch York, has been contacted by families who have been forced to wait years for treatment, and nearly half the people who responded to their survey about dentistry said they cannot find a dentist taking NHS patients.

She said: “York children under the age of 5 are being admitted to hospital to have teeth removed because of dental caries.

“Our concern is that this could be because of poor access to dentists for families. But without the evidence, we cannot tackle this.

“We now urge everyone in York to share their experiences so that if this is the case, we can do something about this, and if not we can better understand why this is happening.”

Ms Balsom said that, according to Healthwatch York’s findings, of those who do not currently have an NHS dentist but are trying to find one, more than 20 per cent have now been waiting more than two years and 10 per cent of families have no relatives registered with a dentist.

Moira Dumma, director of Commissioning Operations, NHS England in Yorkshire and the Humber, said the NHS is committed to finding people a dentist and is currently reviewing access and looking at how additional capacity can be introduced. She said: “We are looking at both in-hours and out of hours’ services and at how people can be better signposted to the most appropriate services. We will be paying particular attention to areas where we know this is particularly challenging.”

To complete Healthwatch York’s survey go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YorkDental