Dentist `made foul comments on patient'.

Byline: By Michael Woods

A dentist made a series of "foul and degrading" comments about a patient when she started legal action over botched treatment, a disciplinary hearing heard yesterday.

Leslie Rippon Smith allegedly insulted the married woman and her solicitor and refused to deal with her complaint.

She left his Durham practice after years of "declining care" and it was later discovered he had billed the NHS when she was a private patient, the General Dental Council was told.

Smith is also accused of making "inappropriate" claims for work on more than a dozen other patients and "intentionally misleading" claims for three others ( allegedly treating many of them when he had no insurance against professional negligence.

And, in a phone conversation with a private dentists' association Denplan, which later expelled him over claims he failed to deal with complaints, he is alleged to have called another dentist "a sniveling bastard" and "a girl's blouse". Smith, who qualified in Newcastle in 1978, now faces a charge of serious professional misconduct at the GDC in central London.

He is accused of botching treatment on a female patient, named only as CH between 1989 and December 2001.

"She left his care dissatisfied by what she saw to be declining care and treatment," said Alison Foster QC for the GDC. "She was sent to an independent dentist and as a result of what she was told she decided to make a legal claim. It is alleged he failed to co-operate properly with the complaint and refused to hand over proof of indemnity insurance held at the time.

"And, in a phone conversation with her family solicitor his language and attitude were foul and degrading, and insulting of both the solicitor and the patient." Smith denies failing to maintain the patient's oral health or using foul and degrading language on April 28 and May 2, 2003. Miss Foster said: "If it is proved Mr Smith has manipulated the NHS treatment scheme and or private plan of payment for his own benefit then it is suggested such behaviour is inevitably to be stigmatised as serious professional misconduct."

Smith, of Bridge House, Framwellgate Bridge, Durham, admits his record-keeping was "shocking" and that he had no indemnity insurance between July 2001 and June 2002, but denies deliberately making false claims. He was first investigated over claims to the Dental Practice Board in January and February 2000 for major treatment of two patients.

Smith accepts he failed to provide them with a written treatment plan and did not complete his practice record form to back up the payment, but denies the claims were inappropriate.

The County Durham and Darlington Health Authority withheld pounds 500 after an inquiry.

It led to the Dental Practice Board examining his records and highlighting claims for work on 13 more patients between January and November 2001, which resulted in the Health Authority recommending pounds 3,250 be kept back.

Smith denies serious professional misconduct.

The hearing continues.