English dentists “walking away” from NHS work due to unprofitable fees

An increasing number of English dentists are abandoning NHS work as the fees they receive for many procedures fail to cover the costs, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned.

The association revealed that dental surgeries are losing approximately £332 million a year subsidizing NHS work with private income, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, commented on the situation, saying, “Demoralised dentists are walking away from a system that is forcing practices to operate like a charity. This service is running on empty, kept afloat by private work and goodwill, which is now in very short supply.”

According to the BDA, NHS fees are so low that practices lose money on several common procedures. Dentists are losing £42.60 per set of dentures fitted, £7.69 for a new patient examination, £40.60 for a dental surgery involving bone removal, and £21 for molar root canal and crown treatments.

Despite an increase in government spending on NHS dental care, rising from £5.6bn in 2005-06 to £10.2bn in 2022-23, the proportion of NHS work has decreased significantly. The share of private care has surged to nearly two-thirds, with NHS dental services now barely covering a third of the demand.

Mark Dayan, a policy analyst from the Nuffield Trust, noted, “Dentists will not necessarily lose money on NHS work. But it is a real problem that they are often being asked to make a financial sacrifice to see a health service patient instead of a private one.”

This issue has contributed to the rise of "dental deserts" and the emergence of “DIY dentistry” in areas where NHS services are unavailable. The BDA emphasized the urgency of reforming the NHS dental contract to prevent the further erosion of dental care.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently warned that NHS dentistry is "at death’s door," and promised to take action to address the ongoing crisis. However, the BDA has criticized the lack of tangible progress toward real solutions since the government's dental recovery plan was introduced.