BDA's scathing attack on Chancellor's private dentistry probe

The chairman of the British Dental Association (BDA) has described the Chancellor’s call for an inquiry into private dentistry as ‘utterly perverse’.

In a scathing response to Rachel Reeves’ announcement, BDA chair, Eddie Crouch, said: “This call for an investigation is utterly perverse.

“The Chancellor is singling out private dentists for doing what any business does: covering their costs, some of which are of the Chancellor’s own making.

“At the same time, she’s very happy to starve NHS services of vital funding.

“We’d remind her that profits from private care are all that are keeping NHS dentistry afloat.”

He spoke out after Reeves asked the UK watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), to probe private dentistry costs amid mounting concern about a sharp increase in prices.

The Chancellor is singling out private dentists for doing what any business does: covering their costs, some of which are of the Chancellor’s own making

Prices for private dental treatment have climbed sharply in recent years, according to research by myTribe Insurance.

The research, published in December last year, found that patients were paying up to 32% more for private dental procedures in 2024 compared with 2022.

And an analysis of data from 450 private dental practices found the average cost of a white filling had increased 23% to £129 last year, while the average cost of a tooth extraction had risen 32% to £139.

Reeves said: “The scourge of hidden costs, lack of transparency, and overtreatment has blighted families in need of dental treatment for too long.

“That’s why I want to see urgent action taken to help reduce prices, while the cost of living still puts pressure on families across the country.” 

But Crouch said the BDA was ‘determined to fight the corner for this profession’.

He added that private practices have had to cover significant increases in overheads following the Chancellor’s first budget.

“Over the last four years we estimate private fees have increased at an average of 13.8%, when costs of delivering care have increased by as much in a single year,” the BDA says.

“Cumulative inflation for the period 2021 to date stands at 24.5%.

“Private dentistry is never one size fits all, and there is clearly no scope for a ‘national tariff’.

“The reality is private dentistry needs to operate to market forces, with prices that cover the costs of delivering treatment, often using techniques and materials unavailable on the NHS.”

And it described Reeves’ move as ‘a fig leaf for the failure to properly fund NHS care’.

The reality is private dentistry needs to operate to market forces, with prices that cover the costs of delivering treatment, often using techniques and materials unavailable on the NHS

“Not a penny of new investment has been pledged to support the rebuild of NHS dentistry, with a petition backed by over 120,000 delivered to Government, pressing on Ministers to fill the £1.5bn hole in the budget required to support promised reform and restore care to millions,” the BDA adds.

“A generation of savage cuts have left typical NHS practices delivering treatments like dentures and bridges at a financial loss.

“We told the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year that loss-making NHS services were being kept afloat by a cross subsidy from private work of over £330m.”

While the CMA is said to be ‘exploring the merits’ of an inquiry, the BDA has written to the watchdog and is ‘closely monitoring developments’.

“We will speak up for the many thousands of dentists in both private and mixed practice delivering high-quality care,” it said.