NHS dental patients in Holsworthy will be left facing either trying to find an alternative appointment or pay to go private after the town’s dental centre announced it will be withdrawing from NHS dentistry services.

Holsworthy Dental Centre has confirmed that it has informed some NHS patients that it will no longer be able to offer them their services after the two NHS contracted dentists at the centre resigned in recent months.

Despite attempts to recruit a replacement, bosses at the dental centre, which will continue to offer appointments to private patients, have confirmed these have not been fruitful - leading to the announcement.

NHS Devon has confirmed that patients requiring urgent dental care can access it by contacting NHS 111.

Dr Catherine Tannahill, a spokesperson for Holsworthy Dental Centre, said: “Historically Holsworth Dental Centre has been able to offer both NHS and private services to its patient base.

“The practice has recently informed a number of its NHS patients of the decision to cease providing NHS services to them, following the resignations of two of our NHS Dentists, and despite our best efforts, we have not been able to recruit replacements.

“We appreciate that this could cause some difficulties with the need to travel further for appointments due to a shortage of NHS dental practices in the local area.

“Due to the requirements set out by the NHS, not all dentists in the UK are registered to provide NHS treatment and as a profession, we currently face an unprecedented situation nationwide with a shortage in supply of NHS-providing dentists.

“We have explored all options available to us to be able to continue to provide NHS services from this practice but, regrettably, these have now all been exhausted.

“New analysis by our professional body, the British Dental Association, put to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last month, revealed the struggling NHS service is now being kept afloat by a cross-subsidy from private work.

“The BDA’s assessment of NHS treatment costs demonstrates how thousands of NHS dentists are now delivering some NHS treatment at a loss and practices cannot fill vacancies.

“We have therefore unfortunately been left with no alternative, but to partially hand back our NHS contract and to reduce the provision of NHS services, to some of our patients, at this practice from April.

“Those patients affected have received information about the changes and the possibility of finding another practice taking NHS patients or joining us as a private patient with the option of a monthly payment plan, and reduced fees for those existing patients moving to private dentistry at Holsworthy Dental Centre.”

A spokesperson for NHS Devon added: “We are working with NHS England and local dentists to address the ongoing severe pressures faced by dentists, and to improve access to NHS dental services for local people. This includes commissioning additional urgent dental care appointments that people can access by calling NHS 111 with an urgent dental need and increasing the number of NHS appointments that are available across the south west.”