A surge in the number of dentists practicing in the UK has been observed, raising concerns about potential challenges for patients seeking dental check-ups.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has emphasized that the influx of internationally trained dentists will not address the country’s oral health issues as long as the government allocates only sufficient funds for National Health Service (NHS) treatments to cover half of the population.
Reports indicate that most dental practices in England are no longer accepting new adult NHS patients, leading to a rise in DIY dentistry where individuals in pain resort to extracting their own teeth.
The Mirror’s Dentists for All campaign sheds light on this issue, coinciding with new data from the General Dental Council revealing a 3.4% increase in registered dentists in the UK to 48,000 as of December 2025.
Although the government has facilitated the entry of foreign-trained dentists into the UK, the BDA warns that the underlying problem persists due to insufficient funding, prompting dentists to prioritize private patients over NHS work.
Eddie Crouch, BDA chair, pointed out that the core issue lies not in the number of dentists but in their lack of confidence in a financially strained system. He criticized the government’s approach as attempting to patch a leaking system rather than addressing the root causes.
The NHS dental budget has stagnated at approximately £3 billion for over a decade, resulting in a real terms cut of around £1 billion, a unique situation within the NHS. The proportion of the NHS budget allocated to dentistry has declined significantly from 3.3% in 2010 to just 1.5%.
Compared to other UK regions, England invests nearly half as much per capita in dental services. In 2023/24, government spending on NHS dentistry per person was £37 in England, while it was £52 in Northern Ireland, £56 in Wales, and £67 in Scotland.
The BDA estimates that an additional £1.5 billion would be needed to restore a fully universal NHS dental service in England, given that some patients would still opt for private dentistry even if NHS services were available.
The government’s efforts to attract more foreign-trained dentists to the NHS through expanded exam capacity and a new provisional registration pathway are underway. However, challenges persist due to the flawed NHS dental contract, leading to dentists moving towards private practice.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to reform the contract, but the BDA insists that without increased funding, any modifications would only offer temporary fixes to the existing system.
Recent announcements include additional urgent dental appointments for patients in crisis, although concerns have been raised that this might lead to patients requiring routine care being overlooked at dental practices.
Eddie Crouch highlighted the issue during a parliamentary event, stressing the need for new investments to support the evolving needs of patients in the dental sector.
In a show of solidarity, over 1,300 dentists gathered at Westminster to advocate for a funding boost, with an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer underscoring the urgent need for financial support in the dental profession.
