Patients can now rate NHS dental practices on a new online service, Patient Opinion (http://www.patientopinion.org.uk), launched in December by Health Minister Simon Burns.

With 1.2 million visits to dentists every month, the Government has launched the new service to make it easier for patients to find key information about dentists in one place.

Patients will be able to view information such as opening times and additional services offered by England's 22,000 NHS dentists on one page without having to search multiple sources.

Patients can read comments about how easy it is to get an appointment; how highly they would recommend the dental practice; how well patients are treated by staff; and if patients felt they were involved in decisions about their care.

In a unique partnership, comments left by patients on the independent Patient Opinion site will be republished on existing website NHS Choices, giving patients even more information to make informed decisions about their care. There are around 200,000 searches for dental practices on NHS Choices every month, of 7 million hits on average.

'People will be able to directly communicate with NHS dental staff online, giving them a clear picture of the results they are achieving,' said Health Minister Mr Burns. 'They can use this information to improve their services, and achieve our aim of health outcomes being among the best in the world.'

Feedback will be independently monitored and any abuse, including naming of staff, will not be posted.