AS a paying NHS patient at Flynn's Dental surgery I was shocked to receive a letter stating that they would no longer be treating their NHS patients, (May 11).

My 15-year-old daughter and I are long standing patients at this surgery, my partner has recently joined after my recommendation.

Unfortunately, we cannot afford to pay their exorbitant fees, so we no longer have a dentist. They have also removed my daughter from their list, as they will only continue to treat children on the NHS if their parents agree to stay on as patients and pay their fees. This is nothing short of blackmail.

Surely it's time the Government stepped in and stopped dentists committing highway robbery on the hard working taxpayers of their country.

I hope Mrs Flynn and her merry band of men (and women) are proud of themselves. They should be hanging their heads in shame.

It is absolutely outrageous!

Jo-Ann Young,

Chapelfields Road,

Acomb, York.

...ANDY Scaife asks who enabled NHS dental practices to be equipped and who paid for the equipment (Letters, May 13).

As a busy NHS practice we have always found that Nat West Bank has been most obliging in lending us the large quantities of money required to equip and modernise our practice.

We all have second mortgages on our homes to fund the service, which we provide. Unfortunately the NHS has never contributed towards these expenses.

We would welcome the primary care trust auditors because they may then realise how much it does cost to fund a dental practice and may come forward with some financial help to keep dentistry within the health service.

It is a common public misconception that the NHS provides equipment, staffing and running costs for dentists. Unfortunately for us all, this is just not true and this is why many dentists are leaving the NHS.

John Clarke, Martin Butcher, Prue Town, Steve Saunders,

Red Lea Dental Practice,

Market Place,

Easingwold.

Updated: 08:51 Monday, May 17, 2004