DENTAL patients in Otley are facing the prospect of having to search outside the town for NHS treatment.

One of the area's few remaining NHS practices has announced it will be going private this September.

Olney Dental Care's decision will leave Otley, like an increasing number of other places across the UK, as a virtual 'no go area' for anyone wishing to register for NHS treatment.

Although the town still has several practices offering limited NHS services, almost all of them have stopped accepting new NHS patients and/or charge paying adult NHS patients.

A spokesman for Leeds North West Primary Care Trust (PCT), which is responsible for dental provision, acknowledged there was a problem.

He said: "The PCT is aware of the national shortage of NHS dentists which does affect some areas of Leeds North West, and has identified this as one of the key priorities over the next financial year.

"It is possible to register as a new patient for NHS dental treatment within the area of Leeds North West and practices within the ten-mile access target radius will accept new patients.

"Although Mr Olney and partners have become private practitioners the other practices in Otley do provide NHS dental services but are unable to expand this service at the present moment.

"This situation is similar to that around Leeds and West Yorkshire and partly reflects a lack of qualified dentists.

"We are currently identifying with local practitioners options and ways forward to address this situation."

Based in Boroughgate, Olney Dental Care informed its patients that it would "no longer be able to offer an NHS service after September 8" in a letter sent out last week.

The decision will end a quarter of a century link between the practice and the NHS - something dentist Peter Olney, 50, has mixed feelings about.

He said: "It is a sad decision but inevitable. The reasons are many - for me personally I've decided I've done my 25 years in the health service, it's not getting any better and there's a new contract coming along I don't like the look of.

"This is a lifestyle and work-style decision really, I want to look after myself and the business.

"We haven't been accepting new NHS patients for around nine months now, because we've been at full capacity, now we are giving the notice we are required to that we are joining the private sector.

"Providing quality dentistry has become very difficult within the NHS. Doing this will rekindle an interest in what I'm doing and let me spend more time with patients."

Otley and Yeadon ward Councillor Graham Kirkland said the development reflected a wider, national problem.

"This is only part of the much wider trend," he said, "and the responsibility for it has to lie with the PCT and the Government.

"Over the years governments have made several serious mistakes with dentistry, first by cutting down the number of dental students.

"They aren't paying for dentistry but are expecting dentists to provide the NHS services as a goodwill gesture, and you can't do that for very long and stay in business.

"I think the dentists want the best for their patients and have grumbled about the problems but carried on, but now the problems are so severe they can't go any further."

One Otley patient currently registered with Olney Dental Care, who did not want to be named, said she didn't know where her family would turn to for treatment now.

She said: "I am really disappointed about this. I had a lot of difficulty finding a dentist in Otley who accepted new NHS patients and now I will have to start the search again.

"I have a young daughter who was quite frightened of going to the dentist. She had just started getting used to going to Mr Olney and becoming more familiar with the surgery.

"I think it will set her back having to start again somewhere else. I don't even know where to start looking. I doubt if we'll be able to find anywhere in Otley and I don't have any transport at the moment."

l On the NHS's own website all of the dental practices in Otley with NHS links are listed as either not accepting any new NHS patients or not registering charge paying or charge exempt adults for NHS treatment.