Number of dentists working in NHS drops

There has been a drop in the number of dentists working in the NHS in England, new figures suggest.

Data obtained by the British Dental Association (BDA) shows 23,577 dentists performed NHS work in the 2022/23 financial year, down from 24,272 the previous year.

The last time these figures fell below 24,000 (apart from during the pandemic) was in 2014/15.

Themostrecentyear'sfindings were obtained by the BDA using Freedom of Information laws.

The BDA said the Government should now ‘drop any pretence that NHS dentistry is on the road to recovery and finally deliver a meaningful rescue package’.

It argues that the new data is at odds with repeated claims from the Prime Minister, ministers and officials that recent reforms have boosted dentist numbers.

According to the BDA, dental practices are struggling to fill dentist vacancies, which means they face fines for not hitting their NHS contractual targets.

It estimates that practices willhavetopaybackmorethan £400millionfornothittingtargets this year.

It wants to see a new higher minimumUnitofDentalActivity (UDA) value, which it says couldhelpstopdentistshaving to treat NHS patients at a loss.

‘A minimum UDA level of £23 was rolled out in October, lower than the current patient charge level of £25.80, and below the level required for most practicestocovertheircostsor attract new dentists,’ it said.

Portsmouth has been embroiled in a dental crisis since the closure of Colosseum Dental in 2019. The city has struggled to recover from the multipleclosures,whichaffected some 20,000 people.