Where are the NHS dentists?

NHS dentistry has been a prominent topic in the UK healthcare media for some time now. Lack of access to dental care is an increasingly large issue. In 2022 a BBC survey discovered that 9 out of 10 NHS dental practises were not taking on new patients, therefore meaning that patients can't access the dental care they require on the NHS. There are several reasons dentists are leaving the NHS, and all revolve around dissatisfaction with the current NHS dentistry system. This article will outline what NHS dentistry is, its pros and cons, why dentists are leaving the NHS and what this means to patients.

What is NHS Dentistry?

NHS dentistry was developed with the aim to provide dental care to keep the mouth, teeth, and gums healthy of disease and pain.  Also, under NHS dental care, those who cannot afford dental care, or those who are exempt for other reasons such as being pregnant or under 18, get treatment free of charge. This means that, in theory, all should be able to access the dental care they need. There is a band system in place regarding payments (if you are not exempt). This means that there are set cost brackets for specific treatments. For example, a Band 1 treatment, such as a check-up or a scale and polish, is £26.80, a Band 2 treatment, such as a filling or root canal, is £73.50, and a Band 3 treatment, such as a denture or a crown, is £319.10. Every dentist in the NHS is on a list called the national performer list which the public can access. This ensures that every dentist is legitimately registered. The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates dentists in the UK and ensures that standards are met in terms of the treatment and care provided. Dentists are also commonly contracted to perform a certain number of treatments in a set timeframe.

Pros of NHS Dentistry:

NHS dentistry has its benefits. For example, it's pricing system should be successful in avoiding confusion and regulates the cost of NHS treatment across the country, meaning that dentists cannot charge differently for treatments. The fact that NHS dentistry is free of charge to those in the population who cannot afford it is also a major benefit to these patients. Braces are also available to patients under 18 who meet a threshold for it, highlighting that various treatments are available.

Cons of NHS Dentistry:

On the other hand, it should be noted that NHS dentistry does have its downfalls. NHS dental practises are completely oversubscribed, meaning that they have less time to treat patients (15 minutes for a check up on average) compared to some private practises (30 minutes for a check up on average). There have also been complaints from dentists that they don’t get paid to provide preventative dental disease advice in the NHS to patients. This means that there is no incentive to provide this advice to prevent disease in the first place. This subsequently has adverse effects on patients. Due to the costs of treatments, there are also limits on the materials and resources that can be used. If the dentist wants to use a new, successful, high-tech material that is fresh on the market and very expensive, they won't be able to use it, even if it is better for the patient, because of its cost. In these cases, the treatment will need to be done with the standard material, or the patient will have to opt to pay for the treatment privately. There is also a lot of restriction on the treatments that can be done. If a patient wants cosmetic work, implants, or braces (over the age of 18), they won't be able to get this on the NHS. NHS dentists have also complained due to unrealistic targets set by the NHS. NHS dentists often receive a contract which will have a number of items of treatment that they need to provide within a certain time period. This number must be met and if it is not met by a certain percentage then the dentist will receive a penalty. This can cause immense stress to providers of treatment and can have negative mental health impacts on staff. Furthermore, as the title of this article suggests, there is a shortage of NHS dentists. This means that there are commonly long waiting lists to be seen by a NHS dentist which is the biggest drawback of its service.

Why do NHS dentists leave?

Dentists leave the NHS for several reasons. Predominantly, they strongly disagree with the NHS system and decide to provide treatment privately. Private practice allows dentists to have more time with patients, charge appropriately for more skilled treatments or better materials, and carry out certain treatments that they could not provide on the NHS. Many dentists feel that this gives them more freedom to provide the best treatment for patients whilst also avoiding the restrictions and pressures of meeting certain targets.

What does this mean for patients?

Unfortunately, for patients who cannot afford private treatment, accessing treatment can be a struggle. Patients may be put on extremely long lists that can have them waiting for over a year whilst their dental disease is getting worse. Other patients must travel extremely far to access the care they need. Some patients are also forced to pay privately when they don’t want to. This is a specific issue for those who cannot afford private dental costs.

To conclude, it must be said that NHS dentistry does have its benefits. However, it can be widely agreed that some changes need to be made to prevent dentists from leaving the NHS so that optimum care will be provided to all.

Relevance of this to your application

This is considered a ‘Hot Topic’ in dentistry at the moment. It is common for topics such as this to be asked about in interviews to test your knowledge of the field. Alternatively, they could ask something like, ‘Can you talk about a hot topic in dentistry at the moment?’, in which case you could talk about this. Here at Future Doc we have a team of expert tutors who can help you along all aspects of your application including the interview process. Click here to see how our 1 ON 1 coaching programme can help you secure a space at your top choice university. If you are new to the interview process, you can click here to read some information on how to prepare for your first interview.

Written by Holly Davidson.