LACK of NHS dentistry in Wensleydale is to be highlighted to a group set up to improve mouth health in Richmondshire and Hambleton.

Following concerns that, unless they paid for private treatment, residents had to travel to Darlington or Northallerton to see a dentist, the primary care trust agreed to examine the problem again .

Pat Taylor, director of finance for Hambleton and Richmondshire PCT, said the issue would be reported to the oral health implementation group on Monday.

The meeting would discuss two options - to withdraw cash from practices which had not used funding to increase the number of NHS patients, or to work with practices to ensure funding was used in this way.

Ms Taylor told Swaledale Parish Forum on Wednesday that £18,000 had been ploughed into dental services at the Hawes Medical Centre.

"We said as a condition that a number of NHS patients must be registered," she said. "However, one of the dentists there is approaching 65 and then will not be allowed to be an NHS dentist. The vocational medical practitioner left recently and they are struggling to recruit to fill both posts."

Coun John Blackie said the Hawes practice also served Upper Swaledale and people had to travel to Leyburn to seek NHS treatment, which involved working people taking half a day off. The only other option was to join the private Denplan scheme.

Coun Richard Good said he had waited three years to become an NHS patient at Leyburn and was told that, unless he went privately, he faced a further three- to four-year wait. "This is pushing people into private dental care," he said