NHS Dentistry Reforms 'Failing'

The new contract, introduced in 2006, was intended to simplify charges and make it easier to find an NHS dentist.

But the Commons Health Committee said access remained "patchy" and there had been a sharp fall in the number of complex procedures.

The Department of Health insisted the reforms - which were later adopted in Wales - were starting to work.

The new contract, under which patients paid fixed charges for particular types of procedure, also gave local primary care trusts the power to commission and pay for dental services.

It has been rolled out to cover Wales, although the report only deals with progress in England.

The number of patients seen fell by 900,000 in the 18 months following the introduction of the new contract in April 2006, the report said.