According to a new study, dentists are misleading patients into paying for treatment that is covered by the NHS in the UK.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said that about 500,000 patients receive incorrect information from the dentists about their entitlement to some procedures on the NHS. The new report into the UK dentistry market, which is worth £ 5.73 billion, may pay more for private work.

OFT Chief Executive John Fingleton said, "We expect to see robust action taken against such potential misconduct by dentists."

The OFT has observed that the patients do not have enough information to take informed decisions about the dentists and the kind of treatment they receive. The findings reveal that dentists might be forcing patients to purchase dental payment plans.

It was found that most dentists avoided time-consuming procedures in the NHS even as they are required to provide such treatment.

The Health Department has said that most patients are satisfied with the treatment. Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen of the British Dental Association responded by saying that most dentists follow the rules.

"Patients are entitled to the full treatment on the NHS as long as it is clinically necessary. That's what NHS dentistry is here for, so if some dentists are not doing it, they should be ashamed of themselves," he said.