BDA Response To NHS Information Centre Figures On Proportion Of Dentists' Work Earned From Private Practice, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 25 Sep 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Figures released today by the NHS Information Centre show that dentists derived 54 per cent of their gross income from private work in 2004/05, compared to 48 per cent the previous year.

Commenting on the figures, Lester Ellman, Chair of the British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee, said:

"The demand for private dental care in the UK has grown over the last 10 years as more sophisticated and complex treatments become available. The opportunity to spend more time on patients' treatment is also a significant factor.

"These figures relate to a period before the new NHS dental contract was introduced this April. NHS dentistry now faces a period of great uncertainty and we are monitoring carefully the impact on NHS dental care for both patients and dentists."

The figures on dentists' earnings do not reflect the profession as a whole because they are based on a particular sample of well established practitioners. However, these statistics show the rise in expenses experienced by dentists. These expenses include staff salaries and training, surgery equipment and the upkeep of premises.

The full report by the NHS Information Centre is available at: ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalearn.

The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents over 20,000 dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces.

British Dental Association