Private dental complaints in the UK have more than doubled in just one year, with leaders saying it highlights the ‘challenging environment’ the profession is working in.
Released today by the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), the report – which looks at complaints made in 2023 and 2024 – draws attention to the challenges currently faced by the profession.
The DCS provides complaints resolution services in private dental care across the UK.
The report shows a 384% year-on-year increase in complaints about access to dental care (26 in 2023 compared to 126 in 2024).
Complaints that related to a perceived failure of treatment were the most common in both 2023 and 2024.
Case resolution
Fitness to practise (FtP) referrals following a complaint rose to 59 in 2024, marking a 293% increase compared to 2023. The report highlight that the increase reflects ‘the significant increase in activity in 2024’.
It adds: ‘The proportion cases referred to GDC FtP was 6% of all cases resolved by DCS in 2024. While the number of referrals represents a significant increase, the overall proportion of referrals made relative to cases resolved in the year remains low, and is likely a reflection of the increased pressures on access to dental services and the challenging practice environment.’
The DCS resolved 465 cases in total in 2023. The number of cases resolved in 2024 was significantly higher at 985, representing an 111% increase in activity. Just under half (47%) of all cases closed without the need for any further action in 2023 and a smaller proportion (44%) in 2024.
‘More people are turning to private dentistry as difficulties in accessing NHS care persist… this shift is the likely cause of the increase in DCS activity, but there are also indicators of an increasing need to manage patient expectations.’
Theresa Thorp, executive director of regulation at the GDC
Theresa Thorp, executive director of regulation at the GDC, said: ‘Research to understand how the public and patients experience dental care, and the growing body of data on the working patterns of UK dental professionals, indicates that more people are turning to private dentistry, as difficulties in accessing NHS care persist.
‘This shift is the likely cause of the increase in DCS activity, but there are also indicators of an increasing need to manage patient expectations, particularly in complex cases or where the patient has clear aesthetic outcomes in mind, which may or may not be realistic.’
The full report can be read here.
‘Disappointing’ trend in dental complaints
John Makin, head of the DDU, said: ‘The DDU wants to once again recognise the positive work of the DCS.
‘However, we would reiterate that as the GDC is not a complaint handling body, it is important that those making a complaint continue to be signposted accordingly.
‘It is disappointing that the recent trend of a reduction in the percentage of closed cases resulting in an FtP referral to the GDC, which was indicative of a more proportionate approach, has reversed.
‘This is against a backdrop of a 137% year-on-year increase in new cases opened by the DCS and a 384% increase in cases due to complaints about access to dental care; statistics which highlight the challenging environment the profession is currently operating in.
‘As the DCS continues its work to gain the confidence of both the profession and the public; it must strive to be seen as an independent and impartial body.’
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