The chair of trustees of the UK’s Jewish Dental Society has warned of a spike in antisemitic incidents in dentistry, as the NHS moved closer to banning staff from wearing political symbols at work.
Prof Andrew Eder said incidents had risen sharply since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
He told the BBC: ‘Antisemitism goes right through the profession, whether you are a dental student, practitioner, or patient. I’ve been in practice for 40 years and I’ve never experienced this before at this level, with social media being a particular challenge.’
His comments came after the government accepted recommendations from Lord Mann’s review into antisemitism and other forms of racism in the National Health Service (NHS). Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, recommended new restrictions on political symbols worn by NHS staff, including pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel badges.
Health secretary James Murray said the government, which is responsible for the NHS in England, would accept the recommendations in full, with the proposed uniform guidance subject to consultation.
Antisemitism in dentistry
The government said the recommendations included clear national guidance on uniform and NHS-issued equipment, as well as stronger expectations for how NHS organisations respond to racism. It said the reforms would protect Muslim, Black and minority ethnic, and Jewish staff and patients. The report said 16% of Muslim staff and 20% of Black and minority ethnic staff had reported discrimination in the last year.
Although the guidance applies to NHS organisations in England, all dental professionals are already expected to ensure their conduct does not undermine patient trust or public confidence in the profession.
In a December 2025 reminder on controversial issues, the General Dental Council (GDC) reiterated that discriminatory statements or actions based on characteristics such as religion or ethnicity breached professional standards.
It also said dental professionals had the right to express political opinions which ‘other people may disagree with very strongly or even consider illegitimate’. However, this must be done in a way that did not undermine public confidence in the profession.
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