More than two thirds of dental hygienists and half of dental therapists in clinical roles work in the private sector.
This is according to a new General Dental Council (GDC) report into the working patterns of dental professionals.
The reports provide insights into areas such as employment status, where dental care professionals (DCPs) work, treatment delivery (NHS versus private), the number of hours they spend delivering dental care and whether they work in clinical or non-clinical roles.
Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy at the GDC, said: ‘Our analyses of the working patterns data of almost 44,000 dental care professionals will support the sector in understanding its workforce better and improving access to services.
‘We’re empowering the dental sector to make strategic decisions that will benefit both patients and professionals.’
We look at the working patterns of some of the most common DCP roles:
Dental nurses
- Made up the largest DCP group, with 36,368 of 62,364 registered dental nurses (58%) completing the survey
- Nearly all (99%) were working in the dental sector
- Most (87%) were working in one setting, usually general dental practice (76%)
- Nearly two thirds (65%) of dental nurses aged up to 30 were working between 30 and 40 hours per week
- The median time since qualification for dental nurses in general practice was 9.1 years compared to 11.7 years for other settings
- Dental nurses working in non-clinical roles were less likely to be delivering a mix of NHS and private services (30%) compared to all dental nurses (37%).
Dental therapists
- Most (71%) were ‘self-employed/locum/agency’
- Those looking for work had typically qualified more recently (median 1.9 years ago) compared to those in employment (median 7.3 years ago)
- More than half (57%) were working primarily as dental therapists, while nearly two fifths (39%) were working as dental hygienists
- Half of those in clinical roles were working in the private sector
- Work settings varied by age, with 94% of those aged up to 30 working in general dental practice, decreasing to 70% of those aged 61+.
Dental hygienists
- Around 2% were looking for work, with those seeking employment having qualified more recently (median 2.5 years ago) compared to those in employment (median 11.6 years ago)
- Nine in 10 (90%) had only one employment status, with self-employed being most common (73%)
- More than two thirds (67%) of those in clinical roles were working in the private sector
- Most (92%) were working in general dental practice, from 83% in Scotland to 95% in Northern Ireland.
Dental technicians
- Nearly all (99%) were working in the dental sector, suggesting a stable workforce
- Most (86%) were working primarily as dental technicians, while 10% were working as clinical dental technicians
- Nearly two thirds (65%) were employed, while almost a quarter (24%) were business owners
- More than four fifths (84%) were working in one setting, usually a laboratory (79%)
- The analysis reveals notable gender patterns: male dental technicians were more likely to work in laboratories (84% vs 72% of females), while female dental technicians were twice as likely to work in dental hospitals (17% vs 8% of males)
- Most (89%) had one workplace, 7% had two workplaces and 3% had three or more.
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