Children in Bradford are missing out on specialist dental care because of a wrangle over funding.

Orthodontist Shandeep Sharma this week opened a surgery in Victoria Road, Saltaire, with the aim of cutting waiting times for children needing specialist dental treatment on the NHS.

However, primary care trust bosses have told Mr Sharma there is no money to treat more children who need braces.

There is a waiting list of up to two and a half years for under-18s who need an appointment at St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, for orthodontic work and there is only one other orthodontist with a surgery in the area served by North Bradford Primary Care Trust.

There are no orthodontists working in the community served by Bradford City Primary Care Trust or Bradford South and West Primary Care Trust. Mr Sharma, who has ploughed his own money into setting up the surgery, said he could treat new NHS patients within four to six weeks - if funding was available.

"In this area there is a huge shortage of orthodontists," he said. "We are the poor relatives compared to areas like Leeds and the south of England."

Mr Sharma, who also works at St Luke's Hospital, said he was committed to the NHS and the Government should do more to back initiatives like his.

"Thirty per cent of ten-to-18-year-olds require treatment so the demand is there," he said.

Children in Bradford have some of the worst rates of tooth decay in the country and Mr Sharma said orthodontists were instrumental in detecting problems which may not have been picked up by regular dentists.

If problems are not treated at a young age they could lead to the child needing surgery at a later date, which Mr Sharma says will lead to greater costs in the long run for the NHS.

Trevor Hodge, a consultant orthodontist at Leeds Dental Unit and Pinderfields, Wakefield, also works out of the surgery in Victoria Road.

He said the problem over funding was being compounded by new dental contracts due to come into force on April 1.

Mr Hodge said: "We are committed to NHS treatment for our children. The NHS should be providing treatment for under-18s. People should be treated on the basis of need, not if they can afford it."

Mr Sharma said he was willing to work with the Trust to resolve the situation.

A spokesman for North Bradford Primary Care Trust said: "Although we sympathise, funding has already been allocated by central Government to orthodontists under the new contractual arrangements."