CALDERDALE is winning its war on bad teeth.
More people are going to the dentist and more cash is being spent on oral health.
New figures show the number of people in the district receiving NHS dental care rose by more than 5,000 last year to 119,411.
And the NHS report also shows Calder
dale Primary Care Trust spent £44.40 per head on dental care in 2006.
That is above the West Yorkshire health authority average of £43.90 and the national average of £39.20.
It has risen from £39.50 between 2004 and 2005, and £40.90 between 2003 and 2004.
As reported by the Courier, a council investigation revealed a third of residents were not seeing a dentist, and some parents were failing to have their children's teeth examined early enough.
The findings also showed West Yorkshire residents had the worst teeth in the country and Calder-dale had some of the worst oral health in West Yorkshire.
Ian Waugh, dental contracts manager at the Calderdale trust, said: "The situation is a lot better than it was two years ago."
They have cleared more than 10,000 people from dentist waiting lists. There are currently only around 150 on the list, and they should be seen in the next few months.
The health trust is working on more projects to improve the district's teeth.
These include enlisting the help of dentists in central and north Halifax to offer a fluoride varnish to three-year-olds who do not visit the dentist as often as they should.
To find an NHS dentist, phone 01422 281576.
The trust's total spending on dental care rose from £5.9 million in 1997/98 to £8.6 million in 2005/06.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Evening Courier newspaper.
