DR Robson raises some interesting points regarding the problems experienced in the dental service (Evening Press, May 21).

Referring to the cost of setting up a surgery (estimated at £50,000), presumably most dentists anticipate after the initial outlay they will only have to maintain and update the facility over a period of, say 25 years as is the case with other businesses. The figure quoted is therefore misleading.

The building housing the practice which I have attended for the past 25 years is still structurally the same as it was when set up about 40 years ago. No doubt some updating of equipment has taken place but dentists are not a special case any more than other important services.

I suggest that too many dentists devote too much time to non-essential work, such as the cosmetic side of the business. Teaching units in hospitals are not set up at great expense to enable little Johnny or Josie to have their teeth straightened.

After 20 years of first-class attention with no cause for complaint, during the last five years I have been under pressure from my practitioner to make an appointment for a scale and polish every time my six-monthly examination takes place, thus I am required to attend approximately every three months.

I have taken it up with the dentist, who makes the excuse that he is only obeying instructions from the British Dental Association..

Two glaring truths emerge: the dentist is wasting my time in making a second appointment for work which can easily be done at the time of examination; additionally he could be better employed carrying out essential work; he wasn't trained to simply become a hygienist.

Fred Fox,

Dodsworth Avenue, York.

Updated: 09:52 Monday, May 31, 2004