A fifth of dentists are providing private care only, with no NHS care, new data published by the General Dental Council (GDC) reveals.
The GDC’s third annual set of dentists’ working patterns data shows that 20% were providing private care only, with no NHS care, and a further 14% said they worked predominantly (over 75% of their time) in private care.
Since the working patterns questions first went live in November 2023, data has been collected from 35,474 dentists, representing three-quarters (75%) of the dentist register.
Nearly all respondents (99%) were working in the dental sector, with the remaining 1% actively seeking work within it.
Of those who responded, 32,356 confirmed they were working in the dental sector in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland; 89% were working primarily as a dentist, 9% as a specialist, and 1% as a clinical dental technician.
Working patterns data is collected from dentists when they complete their annual renewal with the GDC. As a cumulative dataset drawing on responses received since November 2023, the figures reflect the most recent answers provided by each dentist who has completed the survey at least once.
The data represents the single largest source of up-to-date working patterns information from individual dental professionals across the UK.
Theresa Thorp, Executive Director of Regulation at the GDC, said: “Three-quarters of registered dentists have now contributed to this survey, and with each annual renewal cycle, our picture of the dental workforce becomes more valuable.
“The data provides important insights into working hours, practice settings, employment arrangements and the balance between NHS and private provision. We are confident that these findings will support strategic planning by health services, governments and dental providers, and ultimately, help patients receive the care they need.
“We remain committed to this work and encourage all dental professionals to keep their information up to date.”
The data reveals the following about how and where dentists are working:
- Most dentists (81%) work in England, with just over one in ten (11%) working in Scotland, 5% in Wales and 4% in Northern Ireland.
- More than half (60%) are self-employed, agency workers or locums, a fifth (20%) are employees, and 15% are business owners or part-owners.
- Less than half (45%) work 30 hours per week or less, with the same proportion (45%) working between 30 and 40 hours per week.
- The majority (86%) work predominantly or fully in clinical roles, with a further 9% undertaking a mix of clinical and non-clinical work.
- Just over two-thirds (68%) work in general dental practice, with 6% in dental hospitals, 5% in community dental services and 4% in other hospital settings.
- More than half (60%) regularly work in one location, while more than a third (38%) regularly work across more than one location.
- More than two-fifths (41%) of dentists spend at least 75% of their time delivering NHS care, with 14% working exclusively in NHS settings. Conversely, a fifth (20%) provide only private care, with a further 14% working predominantly in private practice.
The Association of Dental Groups (ADG), the UK trade body representing the ‘mixed economy’ of NHS, Private and Community-based services, responded to the release of the General Dental Council’s (GDC) latest data on working patterns across the dental team, and notes the resilience of the NHS.
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair, Association of Dental Groups, said: “These GDC dentist workforce figures show that dentists working in the NHS are remarkably resilient. The data reveal that over forty percent of dentists continue to give seventy five percent or more of their time to the NHS. Like Theresa, we are glad to see the active participation of three quarters of dentists in the GDC’s survey, because a clear picture of the workforce status is important. We must keep in mind though, that confidence can only be justified if the ORE and LDS expansions happen at pace. I cannot emphasise enough the urgency of deploying our international dentist workforce. We know that many patients are still living in ‘dental deserts’ where access to a dentist is extremely difficult and we have 2,700 dentist vacancies in England alone.
“The new data continue to reinforce that the existing dentist workforce is already largely engaged, with only zero point nine percent of dentists actively looking for work in the sector, so we simply don’t have a UK workforce ready to take on roles until the ORE and LDS expansions come into effect.
“The Association’s focus remains on putting to work a sustainable workforce model, deploying home-grown talent, international dentists and smart use of the dental team skill mix to put patients first. The ADG stands ready to support policymakers and stakeholders to make this happen.
