IT is the news everyone with dental phobia has been longing to hear. Health experts say we need no longer visit the dentist every six months.

New guidelines say that adults can wait up to two years to call in for a check-up.

How very handy for a Government under fire for the systematic dismantling of State dental care.

Unfortunately, as the letter on this page emphasises, many people are waiting far longer than two years to get an NHS dental appointment.

It is a mess that even the tooth fairy would struggle to put right.

Updated: 11:06 Wednesday, October 27, 2004