Dentists in west London claim plans to increase registration fees would lead to longer queues and delays to treatment for NHS patients.

Practitioners in Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow plan to rebel against their regulator, the General Dental Council (GDC), over a proposed 64 per cent rise in the compulsory charge.

They claim the 'punitive levy' would force practices to take on more private patients to cover their costs, making it harder for NHS patients to secure an appointment.

Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Local Dental Committee is one of 25 LDCs across the country to have called for a national conference in December at which a vote of no confidence in the GDC will be taken - the first time this has happened in the council's 58-year history.

Jason Wong, spokesman for the alliance of 25 LDCs, said: "We believe that currently the GDC does not understand the very profession it regulates, and is putting access to dental services at risk.

"That is why we have taken the exceptional step of calling a special conference to speak up for our patients and protect access to dental services."

The motion to be debated at the meeting calls for a new regulator to replace the GDC.

Dentists and other dental practitioners are legally required to be registered with the GDC, which inspects professionals to ensure they are not putting patients at risk.

The council can strike dentists off the register, banning them from working in the UK, should it find them unfit to practise.

The current annual registration fee for dentists is £576, as it has been for the last four years. The GDC is proposing to increase this to £945 and is due to make a final decision this Thursday (October 30).

It claims the higher charge is necessary following a 110 per cent increase since 2010 in the number of complaints it has to investigate.

A statement issued by the council said: "If the GDC does not have sufficient funds to bring these cases it would fail in its duty to protect patients and the public.

"This would also mean that the public would lose confidence in dental professionals. It is important that patients feel assured that, should they need to make a complaint about their dental professional, it will be investigated thoroughly."

The council also said it was looking at how to help dentists reduce the number of complaints being made in the first place and had been petitioning the Government to simplify the complaints system, thus saving money and speeding up the process.