MORE than 140 Burnley children had dental appointments cancelled when the General Dental Council ruled that general anaesthetics could only be used in hospitals.

It meant that three sessions a week at health centres in the area had to stop immediately, patient watchdogs have been told.

Now Burnley Health Trust is bidding for special cash from an NHS Executive pilot scheme to support a new General Anaesthetic Service recently set up at Burnley General.

And it is calling for the support of the Community Health Council for the bid to proceed.

In a letter to the health watchdog group, the trust spells out the need for the pilot project.

It says that because of the risk surrounding general anaesthesia, all alternative methods of pain and anxiety control should be considered first.

It adds: "Unfortunately in an area of high dental disease levels, many very young children with multiple lesions which are beyond restoration still require the provision of a general anaesthetic extraction service."

It adds that even in hospital all other methods of pain control are again considered.

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