The British Dental Association has accused government of double standards on the approach it has taken to NHS contracts, stressing pledged reform of dental terms and conditions are set to take place without a penny of new investment.
A £485 million uplift for GPs has now been pledged to underpin their new deal – which while modest – is a real terms increase in GP funding for the second year in a row. NHS dentistry has operated on a flat budget for a generation, with government contributions in 2023/24 lower than in 2010/11. These savage cuts – unique in scale for any NHS service – have left the typical practice delivering some NHS treatments at a loss, with many struggling to fill vacancies. The Government has not yet shown any willingness to bridge that funding gap.
While the professional body welcomes support for GP colleagues, it says government’s stated commitment to ‘fix the front door of the NHS’ and shift the focus of the NHS from ‘hospital to community’ will be fatally undermined if it fails to be ambitious across primary care.
While the government has pledged contractual reform for dentistry in this parliament, the BDA warn chronic underfunding and a singular focus on urgent care risks transforming a comprehensive dental system into an ‘emergency service’. Tooth decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children, with the latest data showing an 11% increase in the number of 0 to 19-year-olds undergoing extractions as the result of decay.
Unmet need for NHS dentistry stands at nearly 14 million according to BDA analysis of official data, or over 1 in 4 of England’s adult population.
Shiv Pabary, Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: “The Government says it’s fixing the NHS’s front door, but a generation of savage cuts has left one part of it hanging off its hinges. Applying double standards to dentistry means promised reforms may well fail. Without needed investment we will continue to see practices struggling to remain viable, and millions unable to access the care they need.”
