The new Dental Access Portal will provide a centralised platforms for people to register their interest in finding an NHS dentist and for health boards to allocate places for NHS treatment.

Ran by the Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW), the service will give dentists an idea of the demand for NHS dental services and mean people will no longer need to ring up several dental surgeries looking for a place with an NHS dentist.

To apply through the Dental Access Portal, you must be 16 and over (parents/guardians can apply for under 16 year olds), have not received routine dental treatment in the NHS in the last four years, and must live at a Welsh address for more than six months of the year or attend a Welsh GP practice.

Health secretary Jeremy Miles, when the service when live, said: “Access to NHS dentistry is not where we or the public want to be.

“This new service will help people who may not have seen a dentist for some time get access to routine NHS appointments.

“Since the trial began in Powys, thousands of people have already been added to the list and will be allocated an NHS dentist as appointments become available.”

Sam Hall, director of primary care, community and mental health digital services at DHCW said: “The development of the Dental Access Portal means we now have a national platform that can provide a clearer picture of demand for routine NHS Wales dental services.

“Allowing people to enrol themselves or people they care for using one online system simplifies and makes fairer the process of registering an interest with an NHS dentist for everyone in Wales.”