A NEW teeth extraction service for youngsters with painful abscesses has opened but dental bosses say they still do not know how long young patients will wait for treatment.

The new operating theatre at Blackburn Royal Infirmary opened this week, to give children general anaesthetics in a safe environment with intensive care facilities on hand.

Staff have already treated 20 children who are too young to have badly decayed teeth taken out without general anaesthetic.

But Gordon Taylor, clinical director for community dental services at CommuniCare NHS Trust, said a waiting list of more than 200 had built up since August when the Department of Health said general anaesthetics should not be given in dentists' surgeries.

The move followed the tragic death of Karla Selley, who died during a routine tooth extraction at a Leyland dentist's.

There were no other facilities to treat children who were too young or frightened to submit to the operation under local anaesthetic and the waiting list grew due to delays in deciding how to fund the new facilities and the running costs.

Funding has now been provided jointly by East Lancashire Health Authority, CommuniCare and Blackburn with Darwen PCT.

Mr Taylor said the new unit would treat about 20 children a week in two sessions, but this is unlikely to be enough to reduce the backlog of cases.

Some of the children, who are aged between three and ten, have been waiting since September and have had to take several courses of antibiotics to reduce the painful swellings of mouth abscesses.

Mr Taylor said: "I am delighted the scheme is now up and running, CommuniCare and Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trusts have worked hard to bring about this service.

"We now have to make some very difficult decisions about who we treat -- children who have been waiting months or children who have severe toothache right now.

"A lot of local dentists are phoning up daily to ask if their patients can be treated immediately."

Mr Taylor said the Trust had applied to the East Lancashire Health Authority for cash from the Waiting List Initiative pot.