A DRIVE to recruit more NHS dentists in the region has run into difficulties.

In the past year, more than 500 foreign dentists have been recruited to areas where NHS dentists are in short supply.

But in Scarborough, where hundreds of patients queued in the hope of registering 18 months ago, a Lithuanian dentist has had to quit the NHS after funding ran out. Aivaraus Januskevicus said his experience had been a disaster and criticised the way he had been treated.

A spokesman for the Scalby Road practice said they had expected the NHS to cover the £140,000 annual contract to employ Mr Januskevicus but had now found that the funds were not available.

Yesterday, Health Minister Rosie Winterton said the NHS had greatly exceeded its target of recruiting 1,000 more dentists to improve patient access.

An extra 1,453 dentists have been recruited by the NHS, including overseas dentists, dentists returning from career breaks and local dentists increasing their commitment to the NHS.

Elsewhere in the North-East, dental practices in Darlington and Bishop Auckland have pulled out of the NHS and gone private in the past 18 months.

But Debbie Edwards, spokeswoman for the County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority, insisted that NHS dentistry was still holding up well in the region, with recruits from Greece, Australia, Germany and Ireland.

She said it was also hoped that a new dental training facility would be given the go-ahead.

Allan Beaumont, spokesman for Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust, said that almost 8,000 additional NHS patients had been registered after a number of foreign dentists were recruited, including four Poles.

He said the Scalby Road practice knew there was a risk that the central funding would run out.