MANY of us are terrified of travelling half a mile to visit the dentist. But children from the nuclear-disaster region of Chernobyl have few such fears.

For the latest party to come to Newport courtesy of the Gwent-based Victims of Chernobyl mercy mission group went to get their teeth checked out in Newport yesterday as part of a month-long visit.

Parties of around a dozen have been coming to Gwent annually for 12 years as a respite from their disaster-ravaged area of Belarus and to take advantage of health services virtually non-existent in their own country.

A visit to the Kensington Court Dental Care practice in Chepstow Road, Maindee, has been on their itinerary for five years.

This year's party is aged from six to 12. They were being checked and arrangements being made to return for treatment before their visit ends.

Last year three children had teeth extracted and all but two had fillings - but this year only three or four needed fillings.

Gill Thomas, the clinic's dentist who did the checks this year, said the condition of the children's teeth probably reflected a lack of dental facilities back home.

"They were very good, though a few were a bit nervous," she said. "I think they like coming in because they all get goody bags with toothbrushes and other things in them.

"This year the interpreter with the group was also a dentist who had a look at our equipment and said that back home it was terrible compared with ours."

Victims of Chernobyl's Marcia Doyle said: "There is very little dental care where they live. This year we also took one boy to the optician. He virtually could not see the TV but he now has a lovely pair of glasses.

We took the children around Wentwood and dropped down to the Usk Valley and he was overjoyed to see the mountains, which he could not see before. He now looks at himself in every reflecting surface."

On this trip, the children have enjoyed abseiling, canoeing and yachting. They have also been guests of Newport Uskmouth Sailing Club.

The children leave this week and in September the group will take another convoy to Belarus.