All shy teenager Elliott Sanderson wants to do is smile.

He has waited six years for a dentist to fix his crooked teeth even though his despairing mother Elizabeth has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair and lobbied her MP.

Mrs Sanderson, of South Avenue, Abingdon, said: "Elliott never smiles freely because he is very conscious of his teeth and how they look.

"I am worried about him. He is working for his GCSEs and I don't want him to be unhappy.

"It seems everyone wants to wash their hands of the situation. All I want is for Elliott's treatment to be started so he can get on with his life."

Elliott's dentist said he needed vital treatment back in 1993. Mrs Sanderson thought it would be a matter of weeks before the treatment could begin. But Elliott is still waiting.

The 16-year-old was referred to an orthodontist, who then referred him to a specialist at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in 1994. Elliott did not see a specialist until November, 1995, after which he was put on the waiting list.

In April, 1996, he was told there would be a further 18-month wait. In 1998, he was told the continued delay should not last longer than a year. Since then, Elliott's consultant has retired.

In despair, Mrs Sanderson has written to Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris and to Mr Blair - all to no avail.

There are currently 420 people on Oxfordshire's waiting list for dental treatment but they are being treated by only two part-time orthodontic consultants and one junior doctor. Neither the Health Authority or Oxfordshire NHS Trust could confirm the average wait times. A John Radcliffe spokesman said: "We try to manage our resources as best we can. We are working with the health authority to reduce the waiting times. We accept the time is too long."

Mr Harris said he had asked former Health Secretary Frank Dobson to intervene but had not received a reply.

He said: "Out-patient orthodontics treatment is one of the lists that the Government does not report on. So there is less pressure to do something about it.

"This is an issue for the health authority. It needs to invest more resources in dealing with out-patients. But because the Government has focused on in-patient waiting times other areas are forgotten. "I have expressed concern that the health authority has not entered into an adequate contract to supply enough orthodontic services. I asked them for the waiting times but they have failed to give me them. Elliott has had a ridiculously long wait. There are hundreds of patients in this situation. It's outrageous and unacceptable."

Steve Argent, spokesman for Oxfordshire Health Authority, said: "If the Government provides cash specifically to reduce in-patient times, we could not spend it on anything else."

Story date: Monday 25 October

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