A brand new dental practice offering NHS treatment to 12,000 patients in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire was officially opened by Minister for Health and Social Services, Dr. Brian Gibbons, on Monday.

Hendy-Gwyn Dental Practice in Whitland was a joint proposal from Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire Local Health Boards.

The Welsh Assembly Government funded the full £906,000 cost of the scheme.

Five dentists are based at the practice, which is operated by Integrated Dental Holdings (IDH), the largest company operating NHS dental practices in the UK.

The company has allowed Local Health Boards to improve service provision in areas where access has been most difficult due to historical lack of dentists, where existing dentists do not have the capacity or where dentists are unwilling to provide NHS care at the expense of their private work.

"This practice is a vital asset for Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and the surrounding areas," said Dr. Brian Gibbons.

"It is encouraging to see what a positive difference it has made through the introduction of the pilot Personal Dental Service Schemes that we made available to all practitioners in April 2005.

"It is a fine example of what local commissioning arrangements under the new dental contract can deliver; this can only be good news for all concerned," added Dr. Gibbons.