The government has announced significant reforms of the NHS dental contract – experts from the dental profession, dental industry and wider healthcare sphere share their thoughts.
Announced on 16 December, the government dubbed the reform ‘the most significant modernisation of the NHS dental contract in years’. The changes which will come into force from April 2026 include:
- A new, time-limited care pathway for patients with more complex dental needs
- Better payments for more complex treatment, which is often poorly paid under the current contract
- Payments linked to activity that helps reduce dental disease, rather than just treating problems once they occur
- New funding to support clinical audits and peer review within dental practices
- A requirement for practices to provide a set level of urgent dental care, with improved pay for this work.
Though experts in dentistry and beyond have welcomed improvements to the contract, many have questioned if they go far enough. Find out what they said below.
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