The Welsh Government has released updated NHS dental regulations, though the timing of this publication was dubbed ‘callousness or incompetence’ by dental experts.
In September 2025, it was confirmed that the units of dental activity (UDA) system would be scrapped in Wales under the new contract. The British Dental Association (BDA) welcomed the changes, but advised caution as ‘we need to see the small print’.
Updated dental regulations have now been released, laying out the framework for contracts and fees under general dental services within the NHS in Wales.
It includes the conditions that providers must meet to take on an NHS contract, contract terms such as length and compulsory services, and financial terms such as how charges will be calculated and administered. However, a corresponding statement of financial entitlement has not yet been published.
The new dental regulations will come into force on 1 April 2026.
What impact will the release of the updated dental regulations have on practices?
The BDA has criticised the ‘late publication’ of the document, with a model GDS contract still yet to be released.
The association said the model contract is expected to be published on Friday (13 February), just three days before the 16 February deadline for providers to terminate their NHS contracts. It said: ‘Practices have been given little to no time to assess how the fine details may impact on their business plans and patient base.’
The BDA called for the Welsh Government to place a 12-month pause on implementing the contract changes to prevent what it called a ‘mad rush’. Failure to do so would result in ‘a material risk to patient care and the long-term sustainability of the service’, according to the BDA.
Russell Gidney, chair of the BDA’s Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, said: ‘These are – by the Welsh Government’s own admission – the biggest changes to NHS dentistry in its history. But ministers have given dentists just the weekend to read the small print and make a decision.
‘This is either callousness or incompetence. On Friday, primary school kids will get more time on their homework than ministers have given dentists to decide on the future of their practices.
‘The Welsh Government needs to own this. Patients will pay the price for the snap decisions they’ve forced on this profession.’
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