DENTAL patients who have been lingering for years on waiting lists in Bicester could soon find space at one of two potential new surgeries.

A serious lack of dental services in Bicester has caused a backlog on dentists' books and even forced some residents to find services out of the county.

But the NHS has revealed that it plans to open a new surgery in the town in October, and a planning application for a separate private practice has also been lodged with Cherwell District Council.

Private dental chain Portman Dental Care, based in Cheltenham, has submitted a change of use application to open a practice in an empty unit in Pioneer Square.

It is understood there would be some services for NHS patients, but only for orthodontics.

Meanwhile NHS England hopes to open a new practice in autumn, to ease pressure on just four others currently serving the town's burgeoning population.

Spokeswoman Carol Wood told the Bicester Advertiser yesterday: "NHS England plans to establish an NHS dental surgery in Bicester with a proposed opening date of October 2018.

"Applications have been received to the procurement and are now being evaluated.

"There is no decision at this point about who the provider will be and we cannot comment on who the applicants are until due process has been completed."

Richard Maynard, a spokesman for the county's health watchdog Healthwatch Oxfordshire, said NHS England had 'fast-tracked the commissioning of extra NHS dental services in the town' after residents raised concerns about provision.

He added: "We will be keeping a close eye on the situation in Bicester to ensure that these commitments are met."

In February councillors, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, representatives of the hospital trusts and Bicester Healthy New Town met to discuss residents' feedback about healthcare and dentistry in Bicester.

Mr Maynard said they agreed meet again in six to 12-months’ time to review progress on key priorities, one of which was improved dental access for people in Bicester.

Members of the public offered feedback to Healthwatch Oxfordshire during a two-week outreach project in October, asking people in the town what they thought of services.

Its subsequent report of the project stated: "There is a strong perception amongst people in Bicester that health and care services available do not meet the needs of the growing population.

"People told us about their concerns about the pressures on GP services, and their experience of the lack of NHS dentists and mental health services in Bicester against a backdrop of rapid expansion in the town.

"The most obvious areas for improvements were the need for more NHS dentists in Bicester and having the surgeries fully accessible to all people."

It quoted comments from residents who said they were even struggling to be accepted on a waiting list, and were instead signposted to practices in Kidlington or Buckinghamshire.

One person said their partner had been on a waiting list for 'six years', while another branded the lack of NHS dentists 'shocking'.

The report listed Greytown Dental Practice, Causeway Dental Practice, Market Square Dentists and Bicester Dental Care as the only current NHS dentists in Bicester, though there are several other private practices.