Six in ten (61 per cent) NHS dental patients would consider paying for private dental care, according to Denplan’s Oral Health Survey 2024. The top reason was faster treatment access (39 per cent).

Almost two-fifths (38 per cent) of those who would consider going private would do so if they were unable to get an appointment with an NHS dentist, and just over a third (34 per cent) would do so if they could get treatment that was unavailable on the NHS.

The report surveyed over 5,000 consumers, making it one of the largest surveys of the dental habits of adults in Great Britain.

The data revealed that a fifth (20 per cent) of consumers use private dental care, a two per cent increase from 2023’s survey. Three in 10 private dental patients started seeing a private dentist in the past two years.

Catherine Rutland, clinical director at Denplan, said, “People are considering switching to private dental care to get faster appointments and additional treatments.”

According to the British Dental Association, 13m Brits have been unable to access NHS dentistry, and many live in areas classified as ‘dental deserts’ due to a lack of NHS dentists.

Denplan’s survey found that nearly a third (29 per cent) of those who don’t visit a dentist regularly (less than every two years) said it’s because they can’t find or access a local NHS dentist – an increase of 12 per cent compared to 2021.

The data shows that people who had a monthly dental payment plan (eight per cent) were less likely to worry about the cost of dental appointments (23 per cent, compared to 31 per cent on average).

Of those who had a payment plan, the top three reasons for having it were:

  • Peace of mind (43 per cent)
  • To help with budgeting (42 per cent)
  • To help spread the costs of treatment (40 per cent)

Patients with health cover were also more likely to go to the dentist regularly. Ninety per cent of people with a health plan going to the dentist or hygienist at least once every two years (compared to 70 per cent who have no health cover).

Catherine said, “The cost of dentistry can feel like a reason not to attend which is why it’s important that financial support is available. We are seeing an increase in dentists and patients asking for dental payment plans, which help patients to budget and encourages them to go for more regular checkups and take a preventative approach to their dental care.

“Employers are also helping their staff claim back the cost of dental care by including dental cover in their health plans.”

The full results from the report are due to be published on October 16, 2024.

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