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Calls have been made for reform of the "failed NHS dental system" after residents queued for more than five hours to register with a new Llangollen dentist.

The British Dental Association is calling on the Welsh Government to make sure that the situation does not become the "new normal".

It comes after pictures emerged on social media of people waiting in a huge line around the block to sign up as patients of Beauwood Dental Care on Chapel Street.

The previous practice shut down suddenly in January, leaving hundreds without access to NHS dental care.

Even after the queues had gone, the new practice took more than 600 calls in two hours after registering more than 900 patients in two days.

The BDA recently revealed people across Wales are up against a "postcode lottery" of care – with official data showing that residents in Aberystwyth now face a 90-mile round trip for dental treatment.

Dentist leaders have said the widely discredited target-driven NHS dental system is fuelling access issues, and a crisis of staff recruitment and retention.

The BDA has long advocated for root and branch reform of the system - which effectively caps patient numbers - as opposed to the "modest tweaks" the Welsh Government is currently trailing.

Recent data reveals morale in the profession has fallen to its lowest levels since 2000 and more than half of dentists are considering leaving the profession.

Tom Bysouth, chair of the BDA's Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, said: “It’s the 21st century, and a developed nation with universal healthcare shouldn’t see residents queuing round the block to access basic services.

"The Welsh Government and local health boards have a responsibility to ensure the scenes in Llangollen do not become the new normal.

"For over a decade, dentistry in Wales has been shackled by a system that puts tick boxes and targets ahead of patient care.

"The result is patients are now travelling further or waiting longer for appointments, while practices are unable to attract or keep staff.

“This postcode lottery must end to ensure that all those who want NHS care can access it.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “It is disappointing that BDA Wales fail to recognise the significant changes we are making as part of our ongoing dental contract reform programme, that are being welcomed by dental clinicians, and which BDA Wales are actively engaged in.

"Their unsubstantiated figures do not accurately reflect the work being undertaken.

"There are now over 120,000 more NHS patients regularly receiving NHS dental care than a decade ago.

"However, we acknowledge there are areas where access remains difficult and are working to reach a position where everyone in Wales who wants access to NHS dental care can get it.”

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board declined to comment.