Britain is being forced to turn to charities from the developing world amid a crisis in dentistry, dentists claim today.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, dentists said they were being swamped by red tape and targets, without time or resources to prevent tooth disease, with poor so care that charities from abroad were stepping in to provide aid.

The signatories warned of a “national health disaster” in dentistry, leaving prevention neglected and patients untreated.

Britain’s systems had become “an international disgrace” they said - highlighting the expanding role of charities which were originally set up to help developing countries, as well as US proposals to set up free charity clinics in the UK.

Dentaid, a charity which works across parts of Africa, Asia and Central America, set up its first UK scheme two years ago in West Yorkshire. The scheme works with local dentists providing free services, targeting patients on low incomes who are given free care or asked to pay if they can.

Since then it has expanded, with mobile services working in Hampshire, Cornwall and Buckinghamshire, offering a mixture of treatment and advice.

Meanwhile, a US charity - Remote Area Medical - wants to set up mass temporary clinics in the UK offering free dental care, having run 900 such events, mostly in the US.