A new mobile surgery will hit the streets of Bradford to give people with learning disabilities better access to dental care.

The Bradford Personal Dental Service, which is run by Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust (tPCT), wants to target this hard-to-reach group and make it easier for them to get the dental care they need.

The service will provide care to priority groups in Bradford, including children and adults with special needs, and organisers say it has a vital dental public health role to play.

The surgery will travel to various resource centres around the district to take the dental service direct to the people.

It means the family and carers of the individuals will not have to break into a day of respite care to travel to a dental appointment and it will be less disruptive for the patients themselves, who are often anxious or worried about seeing a dentist.

Anne-Marie Dorrington, development manager for the Personal Dental Service said: "Previously we've only been able to offer dental sessions at a handful of venues because that is where our facilities were.

"Those bases will remain but we can now provide an extra service taking treatment direct to people, so access is much easier.

"We hope that the arrival of the mobile surgery will take away some people's fear and suspicion about getting treatment and allow us to make sure that everyone who needs dental care is offered it.

"We will be working closely with families and carers and their feedback about the new service will be really helpful as we want to get it right and offer a service which makes a difference."

A co-ordinator has been employed to arrange dates for the surgery to visit resource centres and link with the people there.

As well as seeing regular patients, staff hope the arrival of the surgery in familiar surroundings will encourage other adults to get treatment.

The new surgery has wheelchair access and is fitted out with a waiting area, dental chair, x-ray unit and a hoist.

In the future it is planned to expand the mobile service to other priority groups such as homeless people with poor oral health.