THE NUMBER of county patients treated by NHS dentists has fallen in the past three years, new figures have shown.

The news came as Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust admitted for the first time that no new dental practices would be commissioned to take on the lower-cost care for at least a year.

According to NHS Information Centre statistics, only 40.3 per cent of county adults were treated by an NHS dentist between July 2005 and June 2007, compared to 42 per cent in April 2004 to March 2006.

The figures rank Oxfordshire's NHS dental care as the 19th worst record out of 153 UK PCTs, and highlights how the service has deteriorated since the launch of the new dental contract in April 2006.

The Information Centre figures said in January to March this year, NHS dental contracts in Oxfordshire covered 202,172 units of dental activity, compared to 158,251 in April to June.

But the PCT confirmed no money would be given to new surgeries willing to take on non-private patients. It said a one-off investment of £1.3m was being spent on extra NHS dental capacity, over and above the year's budgeted £20m. The spokesman said: "The extra investment will be used to commission additional dental care from existing NHS providers.

"Dental practices who wish to provide NHS treatment will be able to bid for funding when the PCT commissions new contracts with dental practices in autumn 2008."

The move was criticised by Barbara Pearsey, practice manager of Eurodental in London Road, Headington, Oxford, which has moved to the area and wants to offer NHS care. She said: "The whole point of the new dental contract was that everyone had access to a dentist when they needed one.

"We do realise that, from the PCT's point of view, they are probably trying to keep current NHS dentists happy and give them extra money before they go over their funding quota before the end of the financial year. But it is frustrating."

PCT chief executive Andrea Young said the extra money was being given to current NHS dentists because it was easier for them to set up extra capacity quickly. She said: "We need dentists who are here for the long term and are committed to their patients. We are giving the £1.3m to existing NHS dentists because we know they can recruit new dentists and dental nurses swiftly."