600,000 dentist-dodging patients are costing the NHS £26million by going to see their GPs with toothache

AROUND 600,000 dental patients are costing the NHS £26million by going to their GPs with toothache.

Experts have warned that soaring dentistry fees mean some patients are going without food to pay for treatment. And it has led to a rise in waiting times at GP surgeries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Fees for NHS dentistry range from £19.70 to £233.70 depending on the procedure. The cost is up from  £15.50 to £189 ten years ago.

The British Dental Association’s Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen said: “Ministers insist the NHS will remain free at the point of use but keep ramping up dental charges.

"They look like a tax on health. Already these inflated charges are pushing those who can’t pay towards overstretched GPs.”

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And the problem is about to get worse, according to the Oral Health Foundation.

They said subsidies for dental care will  be reduced next year, hiking the cost to patients by five per cent.

That means patients will have to cover 26 per cent of the cost, up from 19 per cent a decade ago.

At that rate, within 15 years most people will have to fork out for the majority of their treatment.

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Dentists have blamed the rises on NHS dentistry cuts of £170million since 2010.

Nigel Carter, chief executive of the OHF, said: “This must not be allowed to continue.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Raising dental charges is always a difficult decision but this money is reinvested into the NHS budget.”