The British Dental Association says that the government pledged to invest £19m in its Investing in Dentistry (IID) scheme for the two years from 1997-1998.

But it claims that only £7m has so far reached dental practices with only two months to go.

The BDA has written to every MP in those areas with a funding shortfall to ask why.

The association says the shortfall in funding is depriving health authorities of vital funds for improving access to NHS dentistry.

In many parts of the country it is difficult for patients to register for NHS treatment as many dentists have opted for a greater proportion of private work, on the grounds that NHS practice is not economically viable.

In Cornwall, for example, it is almost impossible to find a dentist willing to take on new NHS patients. The number of people registered with a dentist in the county has fallen by 70,000 in six years.

NHS dentistry can be hard to find

Approximately 29m people now receive NHS dental care, down from a peak of approximately 31m in 1990. One in four patients are estimated to go private.

It is estimated that 75% of dentists spent three quarters of their time treating NHS patients. The rest spent a greater proportion of their time on private work.

Previously dentists spent an average of 91% of their time on NHS work.

The BDA also fears that the money will not now be received before the end of the financial year and that, as a result, many patients may not be receiving dental treatment when they need it.

Government figures show that although health authorities have made bids totalling more than £20m, to date only one in four have had bids approved.

In addition, the BDA claims that the government spent £56.5m less in total on dentistry than it had budgeted for in 1997-1998.

The BDA says that the delay in providing funding to health authorities is due to the process of applying for a grant - a process many dentists have termed a "bureaucratic nightmare".

No logic

The association says that there are no logical criteria applied to the allocations.

Relatively affluent areas such as Wiltshire and Gloucestershire have had bids allowed, but many deprived areas - including Sunderland, East Kent and some London boroughs - have not had bids accepted.

Dr Anthony Kravitz, chairman of the BDA's General Dental Services Committee, said: "We are very concerned about the problems people are having finding a dentist in many areas of the country, and we have raised these concerns with MPs in affected areas.

"We have asked for more money for Investing in Dentistry next year; our calculations show that £50m of funding is needed every year for the next three years.