More than 7,500 NHS patients have been left without dental care following the sudden closure of a dental surgery in Corby, Northamptonshire.
The Pytchley Court Dental Surgery premises was forced to close its doors after the centre failed to meet UDA (units of dental activity) targets set by the new dental contracts.
The dental surgery has been repossessed by Corby Council and its patients are to be given help finding another dentist by the Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) .
Dentist Zac Ismael said he had been left with no other option but to close the surgery after five years of providing oral healthcare in Corby.
He explained: "The new dental contracts give us set 'units of dental activity' targets that we have to meet, and we didn't make them."
"The PCT stopped paying me and told me that the best thing I could do was to declare myself insolvent."
"It means there are 7,500 people now without an NHS dentist," he added. "We know that we are in need of 21 more NHS dentists in this area and this isn't going to help."
A spokesman for Northamptonshire PCT said: "We have written to all patients of the Pytchley Court Dental Practice to ensure them we are doing all we can to work with other local practices so everybody can access routine appointments to provide their dental care ."
"The details of this incident are highly sensitive so we can't give any more at this stage."
