Eighty-seven per cent of all dentist vacancies were reported as within the NHS.
Statistics have shown that while the total number of dentists doing ‘some’ NHS work in England is now placed at 25,367, the number of full-time equivalent NHS dentists is 10,539.
According to the British Dental Association (BDA), traditional workforce data has failed to capture the exodus from NHS to private care. It said the data focuses on headcount, not the amount of NHS activity undertaken.
Office of National Statistics data revealed 97 per cent of patients who attempted to access NHS dental in England care were unsuccessful.
The BDA has said the data serves as a reminder of why the government must move rapidly to honour its pledges to reform the contract fuelling access and workforce crises in NHS dentistry.
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS echoed the BDA’s call to fix the broken contract. The report observed, "If dentistry is to continue as a core NHS service, urgent action is needed to develop a contract that balances activity and prevention, is attractive to dentists and rewards those dentists who practice in less served areas.”
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee, said, “Past governments pedalled workforce numbers that were a work of fiction. The reality shows just how deep the crisis in NHS dentistry goes.
“A fifth of posts now stand empty, and every single vacancy translates in thousands unable to access care.
“We’ve had promises of reform, but a broken system will push dentists out of the NHS every day it remains in force.”