New NHS dental shake-up following report

After huge criticism of the 2006 dental contract, new plans were discussed by the Department of Health to focus on maintaining oral health. The 2006 changes saw a decline in the number of patients treated, despite huge investment into the NHS system.

The new report recommended that changes be made from the autumn. This will see payments for procedures such as fillings being reduced.

Patients treated on the NHS will continue to pay charges, which in the past have covered 80 percent of the treatment cost. However, this could now be split into 10 bands of payments, instead of the existing three, which will make them more relevant to the work being done.

One main criticism of the existing contract is that one filling can cost the same as six fillings, both being in charge band 2.

The new proposals are aimed more at long-term care, and will put more money into looking after dental health, and less into the speed at which the dentist can ‘drill and fill’. This means that dentists will, in future, receive more than half of their total income from registering and caring for patients. Less than half of their income will come from total dental activity.

Extra money will be put into deprived areas, and quality will be assessed according to restoration rates and how often patients are recalled for treatments.

The Tories have claimed that this review is ‘bad news for the Government’, with Andrew Lansley saying it is a ‘clear rejection of the structure of the Labour dental contract’.