Dentists and dental hygienists/therapists in their final year of training now offer the free treatment to around 700 people over 16-years of age  at the new Dental Outreach Centre in the Buchanan Centre, Main Street Coatbridge

NHS Lanarkshire has now issued an appeal for 700 suitable patients to get in touch to register for a course of the free treatment.

Mike Devine, NHS Lanarkshire’s director of salaried primary care dental services, said: “This is a great opportunity for those not registered with a dentist to get a course of treatment free of charge.

“Each course of treatment could solve an existing problem, help to identify a possible future problem and give patients’ some general advice on oral health.”

The treatment is  be carried out by dentists and dental hygienist/therapists in the final year of their training within the modern well equipped Buchanan Centre which has 14 dental surgeries.

As it is final year students carrying out the supervised work, appointments will last slightly longer than normal and patients may not have as much treatment carried out as they may expect in a busy general dental practice.

However, each patient will have their treatment carried out to a high standard as experienced dentists will be supervising all the work carried out.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 01236 703460.

You can also enquire at the reception desk of the Dental Outreach Centre on the first floor of the Buchanan Centre, Main Street Coatbridge, ML5 3BJ.

Remember that the practice wil be closed on Good Friday 29/03/13 and Easter Monday  01/04/13. Please remember to order your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so your medications do not run out.

New NHS Scotland Aortic Aneurysm Screening Service

MEN in Lanarkshire are to benefit from a new screening test, which could add years to their life.

From April, men aged 65 will be invited to attend a screening appointment to receive an ultrasound scan which can detect abdominal aortic aneurysms - a condition that can affect the main artery in the abdomen (tummy).

An abdominal aortic aneurysm forms when the aorta, the main artery that supplies blood to the body from the heart down  through the chest and abdomen, becomes weak and balloons out. Aneurysms may not cause any pain until they rupture.

Consultant in public health Brian OSuilleabhain said: “This is a simple scan that can help save lives. The ultrasound scan is the same method used for looking at babies in pregnant women. An ultrasound scan is a simple, painless test taking 10 minutes to detect an aneurysm. The results are available instantly after the scan.

“We will be writing to men aged 65 to invite them to come for an ultrasound scan which can identify if they have an aneurysm. Younger men are not considered to be at risk of an aneurysm so they are not included in this national screening programme.

“This simple test means we can identify an aneurysm at an early stage and monitor or treat it if that is necessary.”

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Alex Neil said:  "Abdominal aortic aneurysms are a hidden killer which affects one in 20 men in Scotland, most of whom will be unaware that they have the condition.

"Sadly, the first sign of a problem for many men will be when the aneurysm ruptures and, by that time, it's often too late. If left untreated more than eight in 10 ruptures can prove fatal.

"Dealing with potential illness as soon as possible not only means that lives are saved, it also means an efficient NHS.”

One man who appreciates how important it is to diagnose and treat abdominal aortic aneurysms is George Casey from Uddingston.

George has a history of ill health. Apart from diabetes, he also suffers from lung, thyroid and blood pressure problems.

George said: “In January 2012, I started experiencing strange symptoms and I went to see my GP who referred me to hospital.

“They told me that I had obstructive jaundice. But because of my health problems, they did lots of tests to see if I could survive an operation. By doing these tests they found I also had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. “

George added: “Discovering I had an aneurysm was a shock. If I hadn’t had my other health problems, they wouldn’t have found the aneurysm.  It was 5.8cm and was a ticking time bomb. It could have killed me.”

NHS Lanarkshire will start to post letters to men aged 65 from 5 April 2013, inviting them to attend screening as part of Scotland’s Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme, the first male-only national screening programme.

Clinics will be held in each of Lanarkshire’s three hospitals – Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw and will begin at the end of April. Clinics will begin in some health centres later in 2013.

Around 95% of men will have a normal scan and will exit the screening programme. This is because the chance of a normal aorta developing an aneurysm is extremely rare.

If a small or medium aneurysm is found, regular scans will be offered to monitor its size. Every man found to have a large aneurysm will be fast tracked to vascular services and assessed for treatment.