A dentist is swapping the comfort of his Oxford practice for a basic clinic in India this Christmas.

Amit Mohindra, 28, is taking a seven-day busman's holiday to help poverty-stricken villagers in Rajasthan, in the north west of the country.

His self-funded £1,500 trip has been organised by Teeth for Life, a charity which relies on volunteers to offer dental care to some of the world's most needy people.

Mr Mohindra usually works at Diamond House Dental Practice, in Banbury Road, Summertown.

He said: "Despite being of Indian descent, I have never actually visited the country of my forefathers. This is an ideal way to go there and help a really worthy cause at the same time.

"I have been working for five years and things are going well for me, so I just wanted to give something back.

"I am staying in a small village which is not near any cities. I know where it is on the map, but I do not know much about it other than that.

"I am a bit nervous. I have spoken to another dentist who was there in the summer and they said the accommodation is quite basic, with lots of snakes and creepy crawlies."

The majority of people living in Rajasthan do not suffer from much tooth decay, because there is a naturally high amount of fluoride in their water. But they do suffer from gum disease.

Mr Mohindra said: "I'll mainly be meeting the local need for emergencies, like taking teeth out. I'll also do a bit of hygiene work and hopefully some education work as well.

"I understand it'll be very busy when I get there. They announce it on loud speakers when you arrive and villagers queue up for help.

"The fact there's no dentist there all the time makes a real impact. When they have toothache it can be very stressful for them.

"Here we get emergency dental care within 24 hours, but people there often have to wait weeks. If you have a problem with your teeth it can affect your diet and your whole well-being."

Mr Mohindra's wife, Tina, 27, is also going on the trip, which is due to begin on Thursday.

The clinical researcher and keen artist will be helping with his work, as well running art lessons for children.

The couple plan to blog their experience on the Diamond House website at www.diamondhouse.co.uk.

Mr Mohindra said: "I'm going to write down my experience because I want to get it published in one of the dental magazines, to encourage other dentists to take part."