The Welsh assembly is working to improve dental provision

Under new regulations, new patients from Powys will be prevented from using an NHS practice in Shropshire.

With four dentists and the capacity to treat 10,000, the new service is opening in Oswestry.

Shropshire health officials said existing Welsh patients being treated in the county would not be affected.

Conservative Mid and West Wales AM Glyn Davies said: "The position has become deeply worrying since the recent changes in funding arrangements in England.

We're not excluding Welsh people and we're certainly not anti-Welsh Mike Prendergast, Shropshire PCT

"The new assembly health minister (Dr Brian Gibbons) must act quickly to ensure that Welsh people living near the English border are able to register with NHS dentists in places like Oswestry - which have always had very close links with Wales."

The funding system for surgeries has altered in England under changes to dentists' contracts.

It means that instead of being paid for each NHS treatment they carry out, dentists will be given a guaranteed income based on their historical income - estimated to be in the region of an average of �69,000 a year plus benefits - for three years for providing services to the local community.

Dental clincs' budgets in relation to converted contracts will be based on 'historic' workloads

Mike Prendergast, the Shropshire Primary Care Trust's consultant in dental public health, said it was not a Shropshire or an English issue, but a Welsh issue.

"We have switched to personal dental services and this applies in England and not in Wales at the moment," he said.

"Under the new arrangement we are charged with serving our resident population.

"We're not excluding Welsh people and we're certainly not anti-Welsh.

"In fact, existing Welsh patients being treated at Shropshire surgeries will not be effected by the new arrangement, it's just patients from Wales looking for a dentist in Shropshire who will."

Mr Prendergast added: "I understand that the Welsh assembly will adopt the new personal dental service in April 2006.

"Once that occurs they will be funded in the same way and then we may consider offering a joint service for those living in Wales on the border."

The new rules came into force in Shropshire on 1 January.

Wales has a shortage of dentists and many patients in rural areas are forced to travel miles for treatment.

In August last year, former Health Minister Jane Hutt announced that the number of dental training places in Wales was to increase by 17% - a rise of 64.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that six areas in Wales, where there have been shortages of NHS dentists, would share �510,000.