THOUSANDS of badly needed NHS dentist places are being created in York and Selby through a £5.2million investment by the region’s health chiefs.

The funding will see the creation of a new dental practice in Acomb in York, as well as thousands of extra spaces at existing dentists throughout North Yorkshire.

An advertising campaign has now been launched by NHS North Yorkshire and York (NHSNYY), urging people to register for the 14,500 places, which include 10,800 in York; 1,500 in Selby and 1,100 in Ryedale.

The news was immediately welcomed by patient groups in the region, who said a lack of spaces had been a problem for years.

Lesley Pratt, chair of health watchdog York LINk, said: “It’s very welcome but overdue.

“We had a meeting with members of the public last year and the dentist situation was a highlight.

“The problem we were seeing was people were finding it difficult to get a dentist or one that was appropriate.

“We had a woman who used a wheelchair tell us that she was assigned a dentist who was situated up a flight of stairs”.

In 2004, The Press reported one desperate Scarborough man pulled his own teeth out with pliers because he could not get an NHS dentist, while in 2010, a huge crowd of patients queued outside a Copmanthorpe dentist, only to be told that all 600 spaces had been filled.

The trust hopes the extra spaces will ease the pressure on waiting lists.

Last month, 7,300 York residents were waiting to be allocated a dentist. The average waiting time for people to be assigned a dentist is currently 237 days in York and 609 in Selby.

Lorraine Naylor, assistant director of primary care services at the trust, said: “We are delighted to announce this much needed investment in NHS dental services across our area.

“The extra capacity means that current waiting lists, particularly in the York and Selby area, will be vastly reduced and we anticipate there will be additional places available for those not already on the waiting list.

“If you are already registered on our dental database you don’t need to do anything – we will be in touch to offer you a place. However, if you are not, now is a great time to register to ensure you get a place as quickly as possible.”

The trust said work to shorten the waiting lists was now under way, with the new practice in Boroughbridge Road in York hopefully opening its doors to patients this summer.

In addition to the investment in dental capacity, NHSNYY said it will provide access to orthodontic services for an extra 3,215 people in our region.

People wishing to register can call free on 0300 303 8010 or go to northyorkshireandyork.nhs.uk