Jane Dodds is pressing the Welsh Government to improve people’s access to dentists.

The Mid and West Wales MS raised at the Senedd the “concerning state” of dentistry waiting lists in Wales.

She said there has been a “significant improvement” in Powys in terms of the number of children waiting to see an NHS dentist.

Ms Dodds said: “The figures now stand at only 84 children waiting for an NHS dentist - but we must remember that that is still 84 children.”

But she said the number of adults in Powys waiting for an NHS dentist is 4,200 - a “staggering number.”

Ms Dodds said: “One of the issues is the lack of centralised data and a central Wales waiting list.

“When I raised this issue first with the First Minister, he conceded that there had been delays in rolling out a national unified waiting list, but provided no timeline.”

She asked Government Business Minister, Jane Hutt, when MSs can expect to see a centralised waiting list for NHS dentists.

Ms Hutt said action has been taken, with the needs of children being prioritised.

She said: “Of course, there are adults as well. We have to make sure that we get consistency across Wales in terms of developing dental services.”

Ms Hutt said work is being done on establishing centralised waiting lists which will help improve access to dentists.