MacIntyre Dental Practice has cleared waiting list to zero
ONE of the biggest dental success stories in the Southern Downs has resulted in hundreds of people coming off waiting lists.
A private/public partnership with the MacIntyre Dental Practice in Inglewood has seen hundreds of people come off waiting lists from areas such as Millmerran, Warwick, Texas and Goondiwindi.
MacIntyre Dental Practice operator Dr Michael Letters said when the clinic first opened in February last year, people had been waiting up to seven years to see a dentist.
"On more than one occasion we cleared the list to zero," he said.
Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service statistics show dental health services are on track to have no long waits by June 30.
DDHHS Southern Downs Principal Dentist Dr David Griffiths said with every dentist position filled across the DDHHS, the capacity to provide dental treatment has increased.
"In the Southern Downs the long wait list has been reduced by 43% in the 11 months between the end of February 2013 and the end of January 2014," he said.
"With the ongoing hard work and commitment of oral health staff we will continue to reduce waiting lists."
