NHS dentists achieve new highs in public satisfaction

Analysis of the British Social Attitudes Survey shows satisfaction among the public in NHS dentistry is up seven percentage points since 2015, to 61 per cent, with some of the highest ratings seen since the early 1990s. Satisfaction fell to the low 40s in the 2000s as a new NHS contract sent shockwaves through the service and generated access problems across England and Wales.

The BDA has said dentists should take real pride in what they have achieved despite government indifference, sustained underfunding and the barriers presented by the target-driven 2006 contract that still remains in place. NHS dentists in England and Wales have seen their incomes – currently the only potential source of capital investment in the service – fall by 35 per cent in real terms in the last decade. This week they were granted a below-inflation 1 per cent pay uplift.

No commitments on NHS dentistry were offered in today’s Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View. Tooth decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among children in the UK.