The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has highlighted the significant gap in the dental workforce, as it awaits the government and the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) action plan to deliver on their election manifesto pledges for NHS dentistry.

The ADG has estimated that the significant gap in the dental workforce means that the profession is unable to treat 4.5m patients annually. Data published by NHS England for the period to March 2024 has revealed that there are 2,749 full-time equivalent (FTE basis) NHS dentist vacancies, which make up 87 per cent of total dentist vacancies currently open - at 3,160 (FTE basis). These are roles that have been open for an average of 180 days per post, and most are more than three months old.

With 411 private vacancies (FTE basis) still open, the ADG has said it is clear that irrespective of the need for NHS contract reform, there is a system-wide shortage of dentists in the UK across the profession’s ‘mixed-economy’. The result of this gap in the dental workforce means that there is an issue with the number of patient treatments that can actually be carried out.

The association has recommended three key actions to help address the gap in the dental workforce. These interventions can be put to work in the short-term, without legislative change, and with no extra cost to the government – since the current dentistry underspend provides sufficient funding. These steps include:

  1. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to use their full commissioning powers: To meet the needs of the population and fully use the current dental workforce team available in the UK, ICBs either need to spend in full their dental budget or have it supplemented from central clawback funding.
  2. Improve workforce planning: Recognise the relationship between the ‘mixed economy’ and skills mix across the full dental workforce, including Dental Care Practitioners (DCPs - dental therapists, dental hygienists and dental nurses) and support improvements of dental schools.
  3. Commit to support recruitment: Accelerate long-term workforce planning and unlock barriers preventing high-quality international dentists registering and undertaking the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE). Recently granted changes to the international registration legislation should now allow the General Dental Council (GDC) to put this into action.

In 2024, the GDC published data revealing that dentists are willing to take on NHS appointments. Most dentists provide some NHS care. Just 19 per cent said they provided only private care and a further 14 percent said they predominantly provided private care. There is also effectively full ‘employment’ in dentistry with only 0.7 per cent of dentists actively seeking work.

According to the association, part of the solution to the current crisis in dentistry in the UK, should also be to embrace the full dental workforce. DCPs are critical to providing patient care and are now trained to carry out approximately 70 per cent of the treatments that dentists can.

Neil Carmichael, executive chair of the ADG, said, “The ADG keeps banging the drum for ‘Recruitment. Recruitment. Recruitment – and Retention’! Much focus has been put on the need for NHS dentistry contract reform, and whilst this is important, our association’s members know that without the ‘boots on the ground’ in the form of more dentists and DCPs, the benefits of any new contract simply cannot be brought to life.

“With the UK’s dentistry needs so high, the government’s promise to deliver 700,000 appointments isn’t nearly ambitious enough to fix the current crisis in dentistry. The need is far greater to address patients’ needs, and to fulfil the significant number of open vacancies across the UK dentistry’s ‘mixed economy’. Only approximately 400 additional FTE basis dentists would deliver this 700,000 pledge – whilst there are seven times as many vacant positions for dentists open currently that need to be filled to meet demand!

“Improving patient access and taking the pressure off NHS services across the country has to be the priority. However, currently there isn’t the commissioning capacity to achieve this. ADG is here to support the government to deliver on dentistry reform.”

References available on request.

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