NHS dentist charges are increased again in 'slap in the face for families'

07 March 2024 , 20:19

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Dentist and patient at medical center (Image: Getty Images)

Another hike in NHS dentist charges has been announced despite a collapse in access to NHS appointments.

The latest hike under the Tories after a decade of above inflation fee rises in England means dentures now cost £100 more than in Wales. Charges in England will rise by 4% from April meaning the cost of a Band 1 treatment like a check-up increasing from £25.80 to £26.80.

Band 2 treatments such as fillings will increase from £70.70 to £73.50 and band 3 procedures like new dentures will go up from £306.80 to £319.10. Charges have surged since 2010 when a check-up cost £16.50, a filling £45.60 and new dentures £198.

The flatlining £3 billion NHS dentistry budget for England is increasingly made up of patient charges. This means more cuts to the direct Government funding for NHS dentists.

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Shawn Charlwood, general dentistry chair of the British Dental Association, said: “This latest hike is another slap in the face for hard-pressed families across England. This won’t put a penny in to bring NHS dentistry back from the brink. The Government is asking the public to pay more for less of a service. Ministers need to explain why patients in England are expected to pay £100 more than their Welsh cousins for identical NHS treatment. The answer is very simple. Patients are paying more, just so ministers can pay less.”

The Mirror is campaigning for the return of the NHS dentist with as many as 90% of practices no longer taking on NHS patients. Surging patient charges has meant less well-off patients putting off treatment that nips problems in the bud, contributing to worsening oral health of the nation.

YouGov polling last year found 23% of respondents in England delayed or went without NHS dental treatment for reasons of cost. Some 45% said the price shaped the choice of treatment they opt for.

In Wales NHS dentistry charges have been frozen since 2020 to help with the cost of living crisis. OECD data already showed the UK spends the lowest proportion of its health budget on dentistry of any European nation.

England had the lowest spend per capita of any UK nation. Under 16s are exempt from NHS dentistry charges as well as people eligible for some state benefits.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We provide a wide range of support to ensure everyone who needs dental care can afford it. Over 47% of people are eligible for free dental care and last year the NHS delivered over 15.4 million courses of free treatment under these exemptions, including children, those on low incomes and pregnant women. Where charges do apply, it is important they are updated to reflect increases in the cost of delivering NHS dental care."

Martin Bagot