Private providers increase their profits by 20%

Just days after Dentist Times Owners Club reported that Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has called for an investigation into the cost of private dental treatment in the UK, it was revealed that four of the UK’s biggest providers have earned more than £1.2bn over the last two years.

Reeves has asked the UK watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, to probe costs amid mounting concern about a sharp increase in prices, with patients paying up to 32% more for private dental procedures in 2024 compared with 2022.

A Mail on Sunday investigation shows the gross profit figures for private-equity-owned MyDentist, Portman Dentex and Rodericks Dental, and Bupa Dental Services, rose by 20% year on year between 2023-2024.

The four firms declared gross profits of £528m in 2023 and £631m last year.

The soaring prices come as the health service battles with a lack of dental professionals and amid figures which show just 40% of adults have seen an NHS dentist in the past two years.