A mobile surgical bus is paying a visit to Whanganui to help with dental surgery waiting times.

The bus has a particular focus on providing surgery for children living in rural areas. However, in this case, it will sit on the Whanganui Hospital campus, where dental staff will operate on patients who would normally have their operations in one of the hospital's four theatres.

Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) oral health clinical manager Barb Dewson said it has been 14 years since the surgical bus visited Whanganui.

"Whanganui Hospital was the first in the country to have the bus on-site and now we've reached out and asked if it could be brought here again to help us reduce the waiting time for patients requiring dental surgery under general anaesthetic," Mrs Dewson said.

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"The bus will be with us for two days, and it will be our Whanganui Hospital dental staff who provide the service. Considering that we only requested the bus a week ago we've been exceptionally lucky with the timing. Due to a cancellation it was able to come to Whanganui almost straight away."

Up to 18 people will be treated over February 9 and 10. Treatment provided will include fillings and extractions for young children, and wisdom teeth and full extractions for adults.