A WEALTHY dentist who called a patient a "tart with a mouth like a cesspit" has been struck off.

Leslie Rippon Smith was branded dishonest by the General Dental Council, which found him guilty of serious misconduct.

The committee heard how Smith became abusive when a 31-year-old woman from Durham, known as Mrs CH, decided to take legal action against him in 2003.

She ended up paying £1,135 to another dentist to repair errors made by Smith.

The committee found him guilty of failing to maintain her oral health, which he had denied.

He was also found to have made inappropriate claims for work on more than a dozen patients and making misleading claims for two others during 2000.

A further 13 inappropriate claims were uncovered during 2001. This led County Durham and Darlington Health Authority to recommend £3,250 in payments be kept back.

Smith, of Framwellgate Bridge, Durham, told the committee: "I vehemently deny that I would deliberately attempt to mislead patients or the Dental Practice Board."

He was running five dental practices by the time he was 26, employing 16 dentists and 65 staff in County Durham, after he began his career in Darlington.

He was also found guilty of claiming for work done on Mrs CH from the NHS when she was being treated privately.

Smith was cleared of a number of charges, including failing to advise Mrs CH of her need for dental care.