The Oral Health Foundation has said that new plans to change NHS dental contracts may help some patients in the short term, but they do not go far enough to fix the bigger problems facing NHS dentistry. The proposed changes focus on making small adjustments to the existing NHS dental contract, rather than replacing it. They are intended to improve care for patients with higher needs and ease some pressures on dental practices. The changes include:
- A new, time-limited care pathway for patients with more complex dental needs.
- Better payments for more complex treatment, which is often poorly paid under the current contract.
- Payments linked to activity that helps reduce dental disease, rather than just treating problems once they occur.
- New funding to support clinical audits and peer review within dental practices.
- A requirement for practices to provide a set level of urgent dental care, with improved pay for this work.
The charity said the government has accepted that access to NHS dental care is in crisis, but warned that changing contracts alone will not solve why so many people still struggle to see a dentist, why dentists are leaving the NHS, or why gaps in oral health continue to grow.
This comes as evidence shows oral health is getting worse across the country, with demand for NHS dentistry far higher than the system can cope with. The Oral Health Foundation warn that without long-term investment in prevention, early support and public health, pressures on services will only increase.
It also believes that a system focused mainly on treating problems after they appear, rather than stopping them from happening in the first place, will continue to fail both patients and dental teams.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, says: “The proposed reforms acknowledge some of the pressures within NHS dentistry, particularly for patients with complex needs, but they stop short of the fundamental change the system requires. Adjusting contractual mechanisms may improve continuity of care for a small cohort of patients, but it does not resolve the structural problems that limit access or drive dentists away from NHS provision.
“Without sustained investment in prevention, early intervention and population-level public health measures, demand will continue to exceed capacity. A model that remains weighted towards managing disease rather than preventing it risks perpetuating the very pressures these reforms are meant to address.”
The Oral Health Foundation said it will continue to work with government, dental professionals and partners across health and education to support policies that help prevent dental disease and improve access to care for people most at risk.
