NHS dental services in Sussex have reached crisis point, with more than half the county's practices closing their books to new patients.

Of the dentists that do take on NHS patients, some have a waiting list of up to two months with almost all unable to offer emergency appointments under the NHS.

An investigation by The Argus has revealed patients would struggle to find NHS dental treatment.

The findings were today supported by the British Dental Association which says the NHS has reached crisis point over dental services.

A spokesman said: "The problems facing patients in some areas are a fundamental result of a shortage of dentists and decreasing investment in NHS dentistry.

"In the UK we produce just 800 new graduates a year. Even though the number of undergraduate places is to increase this year, it will be five years before these dentists are fully qualified.

"In the meantime, we are just under a year away from the most radical overhaul of NHS dentistry since it began in 1948.

"If the Government is to honour its 2001 promise to make NHS dentistry available to everyone who wishes to access it, it must heed the warnings and step up its efforts to drag the service back from crisis point."

Some dental practices in Sussex offered NHS treatment only for basic work, to children only or to adults who are claiming benefits.

But for most adults in the county, finding a new dentist without paying privately is becoming almost impossible.

Patients lucky enough to find a practice that will register them are faced with an average waiting list of three to four weeks, with some practices booked up well into August.

Almost all the 18 dental practices in Worthing said they had closed their books to NHS patients and suggested calling back in a couple of months.

In Eastbourne, all four dental practices listed as taking NHS patients said they offered appointments but there was a waiting list of up to two months.

And in Crawley, 24 of the 33 dental practices listed as taking NHS patients said they had closed their books. For emergency appointments the majority of practices suggested calling NHS Direct, the NHS health information service.

A spokeswoman for Mid Sussex Primary Care Trust said there were 25 NHS General Dental Practices within the Mid Sussex PCT area.

She said: "There are 67 dentists working at these practices. All have NHS patients on their books and provide NHS services.

"Currently seven are accepting all categories of NHS patients."

David May, assistant director for Eastbourne Downs Primary Care Trust, said: "The shortage of NHS dentists is of national concern.

"Locally, within Eastbourne Downs PCT, there are a number of initiatives that we are pursuing in order to try to alleviate the problem.

"We are in discussion with a number of dental practices within Eastbourne Downs in order to try and improve access to NHS dentistry."

Health Minister Liam Byrne pointed to the "unprecedented levels of investment" in NHS dentistry, which will see a 19 per cent increase in funding between 2003/04 and 2005/06.

The Government is also rolling out new contracts for NHS dentists to entice them from the private sector.

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton said: "This is further confirmation that the Prime Minister's promise in 1999 was purely hollow words.

"What's happened is more and more dentists have moved to private work because they just do not find it economic to do NHS work."