A report from the cross-party Senedd claims that the true scope of the dental crisis in Wales is unknown.
There are worries that too many Welsh citizens still lack access to NHS dentists.
The number of patients waiting for examinations or treatment was not made clear to the Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee.
Following the closure of their neighborhood NHS dental office, a Carmarthenshire family went four years without seeing a dentist.
According to Rhian Davies, the family of four was unable to register with the alternative options that were given to them, including one practice that was 18 miles away. Ultimately, the family of four had to pay for private care.
All of the options were at least 14 miles away, but she continued, "You still couldn't get an answer on the phone.".
My son's inability to schedule an appointment felt wrong, and it was very stressful.
"In the end, we believed we had no choice but to go private if we wanted to take care of our teeth.
The registration fee was £60, the monthly fee was £33 and the treatment for the two of us last month cost £450. How many people can afford that unforeseen cost for something that is typically provided for free?
The chair of the committee, Russell George MS, stated that the system urgently needs radical reform to address the backlog of patients in need of dental care.
"Many people advocate for a two-tiered system in which those with the means to pay for private care do so.
"However, are we actually in danger of establishing a three-tier system, where those who are unable to register with an NHS dentist but cannot afford to pay privately are left without access and are left with no choice but to rely on emergency dental care?
"The rising cost of living crisis is probably going to make this issue worse and lead to more disparities in who has access to dental care. ".
A long history of problems affecting access to NHS dentistry existed before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the report.
The committee is urging the Welsh government to consider funding and a central waiting list for all of Wales, and to work with health boards to put their own temporary central waiting lists in place by the end of this year.
The British Dental Association (BDA) warned the Welsh government last month in an open letter that new contracts would force practices off the NHS.
Eluned Morgan, the health minister, stated that an additional £2 million annually would help secure 112,000 appointments for new patients this year. The BDA, however, asserts that this is to the detriment of those already enrolled at practices.
While there is some uncertainty regarding the size of the backlogs, Russell Gidney, the chairman of the BDA's Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, stated that the Welsh government's response has been woefully inadequate.
"Ministers have presented the rationing of care as an improvement in access. It is not progress to deny services to hundreds of thousands of current patients in order to accommodate new ones. Stretching a meager budget and hoping for the best are all that can be said.
"What we haven't seen yet is real reform supported by sustainable investment. Without change, many patients won't have any options as practices leave the NHS in an effort to remain profitable. ".
Welsh Liberal Democrats criticized the Welsh government for leaving people who couldn't afford private care "languishing on waiting lists" and demanded that the amount spent on dentistry per person be brought up to par with Scotland or Northern Ireland.
But in response, the Welsh government reaffirmed its assertions that its system was effective.
The committee's recommendations will be taken into consideration, it added, and a response will be given "in due course."
