Fundamental reform of NHS dentistry needed to end a ‘crisis of access’

Urgent and fundamental reform of NHS dentistry is needed if people are to receive the dental care they are entitled to. MPs cite frustration that recommendations for reform made by their predecessor committee 15 years ago have still not been implemented. They brand the current contract, which pays dentists for NHS ‘units of dental activity’ (UDAs), as not fit for purpose.

The report finds common misconceptions among the public about entitlement to NHS dental services and calls for action to address this. MPs endorse comments given by Neil O’Brien, the health minister, in evidence that it was the government’s ambition to ensure that everyone who needs an NHS dentist can access one. The committee calls for the government to set out urgently how it intends to reform the dental contract to deliver on the ambition expressed by its minister.