Dentists face a triple threat of a sharp rise in complaints, regulatory investigations, and civil claims from frustrated patients, according to Kevin Culliney, CEO of Whetstone, the employee-owned insurance broker.
Whetstone is the new parent company of Densura, which offers specialist indemnity cover for dental professionals. Culliney warns the increasingly challenging industry environment exposes private dental practitioners to significant professional and financial risk if their indemnity insurance in inadequate.
And his concerns are verified by industry statistics: The Dental Complaints Service recently reported a ‘sustained increase’ in enquiries and complaints (Dental Complaints Service, 2025). At the same time, despite recent government initiatives to increase NHS dental services, many patients still struggle to access them, meaning they are forced to turn to private practitioners (Richardson and Tickell, 2025).
Says Culliney: ‘People paying for procedures, are more likely to make a claim if they’re not happy with the outcome. The number of clinical negligence claims is rising, and patients are increasingly using generative AI to make their cases. For instance, someone who begrudges paying for private dental treatment might put their details into ChatGPT and it drafts a letter alleging poor advice or care, holding the dentist liable. It may sound absurd, but it’s the reality clinicians are working in.’
‘You cannot have a system in 2026 where a body providing dental indemnity is not regulated’
The risks of choosing discretionary indemnity over contractual insurance cover is starkly illustrated in the widely reported case of Essex pensioner Clive Worthington who suffered life-changing complications following negligent implant treatment (Woodward, 2023). He successfully sued his dentist and was awarded more than £100,000 in damages and costs by the court in 2019. His dentist, however, did not have contractual indemnity and his Dental Defence Union would not pay the claim. Sadly, Mr Worthington took his own life in 2022, with his family citing the fact that he’d felt utterly let down by the system as a major contributing factor (UK Parliament, 2025).
‘You cannot have a system in 2026 where a body providing dental indemnity is not regulated and is not providing capital-backed insurance,’ stresses Culliney, whose industry insights and expertise come from his 20 years building a leading healthcare practice inside Lockton, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers.
He recently led a management buyout of part of that practice to form Whetstone with other former Lockton employees: Densura is its dental indemnity trading name, offering comprehensive protection against professional risk, ranging from civil compensation claims to legal defence costs, regulatory investigations and reputation management. Significantly, it includes an embedded team of legally trained dental professionals capable of talking clinician-to-clinician through any claims process.
‘We represent the dental practice, or individual clinician – not a defence body, not an insurer’s balance sheet. That distinction matters: When a claim lands, clinicians want support, someone who understands dentistry, and legal firepower if it’s needed,’ Culliney concludes.
For more information, visit whetstonegroup.co.uk.
References
- Dental Complaints Service Review 2023 and 2024
- Concerns NHS find-a-dentist website is a ‘work of fiction’ – BBC News
- Botched dentistry: Harlow man took his life after years of pain – BBC News
- Dentists (Indemnity Arrangements) – Hansard – UK Parliament.
This article is sponsored by Densura.
