http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4293574.stm
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Tony Blair has admitted he is powerless to increase access to NHS dentistry.
The government is increasing training places by a quarter and introducing a new contract to improve access - only half the population is registered.
But in an interview on BBC Breakfast News, the prime minister said there was no way of forcing dentists to do NHS work instead of private.
More than a third of English dentists' work is carried out privately - up from about a tenth 15 years ago.
Mr Blair blamed the rise on a new contract introduced in 1990 which effectively increased workload without a rise in pay.
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The admission comes six years after the prime minister pledged to give everyone access to NHS dentistry within two years.
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Maybe we should do what we presently do with trainee teaching students and offer incentives such as no tuition fees etc in return for at least 10 years as NHS dentist as suggested in one readers reply to the article?Or allow those of us who can't get NHS dental treatment because of a lack of NHS dentists to do what we can presently do with certain operations that the NHS can't keep up with and tender out to private treatment dentists?
Any other suggestions we can offer to Tony?Please present them here or to the article in the link.