MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has criticised a further rise in NHS dental charges, warning it will mean more people putting off having vital treatment.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said the Government should also stop making token gestures in support of the NHS dentistry service and find the £1.5 billion necessary to restore provision at least to 2010 levels, and halt the exodus of dentists.

Ministers announced an 8.3 per cent hike in the cost of dental treatment which took effect from April 24, meaning patients in England will pay £100 more than those in Wales for treatment such as crowns and bridges.

But the Government has not tackled the ‘dental desert’ which now exists in West Somerset and the Wellington areas where there are no longer any dentists willing to treat NHS patients.

Dentists themselves fear increasing charges will only lead to more postponed visits, with statistics showing a quarter of all registered patients had already put off appointments because they could not afford to be treated.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who represents West Somerset but will be standing at the next General Election in the new Tiverton and Minehead constituency which includes Wiveliscombe and much of the Wellington hinterland, said it was obvious that after years of under-investment the state dental service was hanging by a thread.

He said: “Dentists are quitting by the dozen because they are hopelessly overworked and at the same time increased charges such as these are putting access to regular dental care beyond the stretched budgets of millions of people.

“The so-called support package for dentistry the Government launched last November is utterly inadequate to resolve either situation.

“The Government has to get serious, to stop treating dentistry like some afterthought, and to recognise the importance of maintaining good dental health.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said regular visits to the dental surgery also allowed for early detection of more serious conditions such as oral cancers.

“The Government must accept that with an ageing population more people are going to require dental treatment for longer and that the cost to the state of providing it will inevitably go up,” he said.

“Instead of making it too expensive for the elderly to get their teeth checked we should be looking at, if not free dental care, then at least concessionary charges for pensioners so they can be assured their dental health will be monitored without having the worry of how they are going to be able to afford it.”