There is expected to be a huge rush at a Camborne dental practice today when it makes 500 NHS places available to children.

At a time when the shortage of dentist places is at an all-time high, the White Rose Dental Practice has announced that it is able to take on 500 more children to treat.

A dedicated telephone number has now been set up, which parents can ring to enrol their child on the practice's books.

Michelle Forgham, practice manager, said they were pleased to be able to offer the places, adding: "We have got staff on hand to deal with the calls."

She explained that the extra places had become available due to the practice's high success rate in keeping children's teeth healthy, which meant that appointments did not have to be so frequent.

"Through the preventative measures we have taken with the children we have managed to get a lot through and dentally fit. They're listening to the message and they're doing the right things. That has made places available to see more children," she said.

Anyone up to the age of 18 years old and still in full-time education is eligible to enrol for a place on the books. However, prospective patients must ring a dedicated enrolment line, separate to the practice's normal contact number. The telephone number to ring is 01209 716028.

While the additional places may help ease the burden on the number of children in the area not receiving dental treatment, it does little to ease the problem for adults. Dental places are now few and far between and the matter has been taken to the very top.

In June 2005 the issue of a lack of NHS dentists in the Camborne and Redruth area was raised by Julia Goldsworthy, MP for Falmouth and Camborne, in a House of Commons debate.

In it she told fellow MPs that, as a resident of Camborne, she had attempted to relate to the problems experienced by her constituents by trying to find a dentist that would give her treatment. She found only one possible practice available to give treatment and upon ringing them was told she would have to wait between two and eight months. Miss Goldsworthy described the situation as "worrying."