The Government has launched a survey to assess the cost of running dental practices, which will support its plans to reform the dental contract, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
The survey will ask for information on costs and pressures involved in running a dental practice and will support the development of a dental reform programme and the annual pay review process.
Open until 16 June, the survey is anonymous and open to all dental practices across England.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: ‘We are working to fix an NHS dentistry sector left broken by years of neglect.
‘We have already rolled out an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments and introduced a supervised toothbrushing programme to prevent tooth decay in young children in the most deprived communities.
‘More work is needed, but to find the right solution we must make sure we are clear about the problem. Through this survey, we will gain a better understanding of the pressures faced by the sector so we can fix them and deliver better care for patients through our Plan for Change.’
The British Dental Association said: ‘This confidential study is designed to gain a well-informed, comprehensive and nuanced understanding of how to support dentistry in England.
‘We have been clear that the future of contractual reform hinges on ensuring no practice has to deliver NHS care at a financial loss.’
On the survey itself, it said: ‘This will require practices to make a commitment of time and effort, but this is your chance to help win the argument for fair and sustainable funding.’
The DHSC is also holding four webinars to explain the project and the survey, with the first on Thursday 22 May.
It comes as one in eight dentists are approaching retirement age, which is creating a ‘ticking timebomb’, according to research earlier this month.
The Public Accounts Committee last month said there would be ‘no future’ for NHS dentistry unless the workforce was sufficiently supported to deliver NHS dental care.
