Warning as dental tourism booms

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The most popular destinations are Hungary and Poland where treatment can be several thousand pounds cheaper than private work here.

Experts warned last night, however, that these trips could be a false economy.

Frances Blunden of consumer magazine Which? said: "People should go into this with their eyes wide open.

"They need to be mindful of what would happen if they needed follow-up treatment. They could end up having to pay twice over. And it will be very hard to complain."

The figures issued by the health tourism website Reva-Health.com show that 35,000 Britons a year are travelling abroad for dental work.

This number is expected to increase in the next year to between 52,500 and 70,000.

Tourists are apparently saving an average of £3,745.

The typical value of overseas dental treatments on the website was £2,200 before travel costs. The same treatment here would cost around £5,945.

Recent figures from Which? showed that more than a million patients cannot get an appointment for their teeth on the NHS.

Around 500 dentists left the service in one year after the Government botched the introduction of a new contract.

RevaHealth.com chief executive Caelen King said: "There are many good reasons why people are deciding to travel abroad, including long waiting lists and the potential for massive cost savings."

However, Peter Ward, chief executive of the British Dental Association, said: "Perhaps people should look beyond the economic reasons for going abroad and make sure the level of service they are getting is comparable with the UK."