After residents in Oldham have reported an uphill battle when it comes to finding an NHS dentist, The Oldham Times has compiled a list of potential practices that may be accepting patients.

People from across the borough have argued that there is a stark lack of dental practices taking on new NHS patients recently.

One dentist even said Oldham is on the brink of a "dental timebomb", propelled by the cost-of-living crisis and a shortage of NHS dentists.

The Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership admitted provision is not as high as it would like for both children and adults in the borough.

A spokesperson said: “Access to NHS dentistry is a challenge for health systems across the country and here too in Greater Manchester.

"Dental practices are independent enterprises that judge if they have the capacity to take on patients onto their NHS lists and update the NHS UK website accordingly."

However, some residents have claimed the NHS UK's website is rarely updated and ones that claim to accept new patients are now rejecting applications.

At the time of writing, the dentist finder shows there are 28 NHS dentists in Oldham, with a further five in Middleton.

However, if the website is to be believed, there are just six dental surgeries taking on new NHS patients in Middleton and Oldham combined.

Online, all six further claim to only be taking on new NHS patients if they have a referral from a dental practitioner.

Here is the full list of local dental surgeries taking on NHS patients in Oldham and Middleton, including when the NHS was last notified:

Oldham Orthodontics, Hollins Road (Hollins) as of February 14, 2022

Peter Hughes Royton Dental Care Ltd, Royton Health and Wellbeing Centre on Park Street (Royton) as of February 22, 2022

Harmony Dental Spa, High Street (Lees) as of April 19, 2017

Pearl Smile, Oldham Road (Failsworth) as of June 15, 2020

Langley Dental Practice, Wood Street (Middleton) as of March 7, 2017

DHS Dental Practices Limited, Bridge Street (Uppermill) as of November 11, 2022

The GM Integrated Care Partnership also said dental support can be accessed via the Greater Manchester dental helpline (0333 332 3800) from 8am-10pm every day for those who need urgent help and/or who are not registered at a practice.