--- title: Satisfaction with NHS dentistry at ‘an all-time low’ description: Public satisfaction with NHS dentistry hits record low of 20%, as access issues and underfunding drive the sharpest drop across all NHS services. image: https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/caroline-lm-1lbvRjeF2JE-unsplash.jpg --- [![DTOC RGB Logo-1](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/DTOC%20RGB%20Logo-1.svg "DTOC RGB Logo-1")](https://dentist-times.co.uk/home) - [ABOUT](https://dentist-times.co.uk/about) - [NEWS](https://dentist-times.co.uk) - [EVENTS](https://dentist-times.co.uk/events) - [PARTNERS](https://dentist-times.co.uk/partners-dtoc) - [CONTACT](https://dentist-times.co.uk/contact) # Satisfaction with NHS dentistry at ‘an all-time low’ Patient satisfaction with NHS dentistry services is lower than with any other health service, according to the results of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, published this month by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund health think tanks. In 2019, 60% of patients said they were ‘satisfied’ with dental services. But this figure has now fallen to a record low of just 20% in 2024, with just 5% ‘very satisfied’. ![Dental article 8 graphic](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Dental%20article%208%20graphic.jpg?width=450&height=238&name=Dental%20article%208%20graphic.jpg) And dissatisfaction levels (55%) are the highest for any NHS service covered by the survey, a 7% increase compared with 2023. This includes a statistically significant increase in respondents who said they were ‘very’ dissatisfied – from 28% in 2023 to 36% in 2024. ![Dental article 8 Graphic 2](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Dental%20article%208%20Graphic%202.jpg?width=450&height=319&name=Dental%20article%208%20Graphic%202.jpg) Questioned about the overall state of the NHS, just one in five people – 21% – said they were satisfied with the way the NHS runs, down 39 percentage points since the months before the pandemic. Commenting on the findings, report author Bea Taylor, a fellow at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Just five years after the British public were called on to ‘protect the NHS’ at the start of the pandemic, these findings reveal just how dismayed they are about the state of the NHS today. > While the results are sobering, they should not be surprising. For too many people the NHS has become difficult to access: how can you be satisfied with a service you can’t get into? “We found that every group in Britain is dissatisfied with access to vital services. “The Government says the NHS is broken, and the public agree. “But support for the core principles of the NHS – free at the point of use, available to all, and funded by taxation – endures despite the collapse in satisfaction. “Harnessing this support and fixing the foundations of the NHS must be central to the Government’s forthcoming reform programme.” > The results show that people do not want a different funding model, but they do want the NHS to start working for them again and they want it to have the staff and the money it needs to ensure that happens Dan Wellings, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, adds: “The latest results lay bare the extent of the problems faced by the NHS and the size of the challenge for the Government. “While the results are sobering, they should not be surprising. For too many people the NHS has become difficult to access: how can you be satisfied with a service you can’t get into? “The results show that people do not want a different funding model, but they do want the NHS to start working for them again and they want it to have the staff and the money it needs to ensure that happens. “These results will form the baseline from which the new Labour government’s reform plans to ‘fix’ the NHS will be judged.” And Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said:  “Satisfaction in NHS dentistry is at an all-time low. “What we need from government is a proportionate response.” calendar icon Jul 23, 2025 3:58:41 PM ![Somerset opens three new dental practices](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ChardDental1-1000x563.jpg?width=600&name=ChardDental1-1000x563.jpg) ## [Somerset opens three new dental practices](https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/somerset-opens-three-new-dental-practices) Up to 20,000 more people across Somerset will be able to access NHS dental care with the opening of... ![Dental patients benefit from 700,000 extra appointments](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Dental%20article%207.%20Image%2c%20JOSEPH%20SHOHMELIAN%20from%20Pixabay.jpg?width=600&name=Dental%20article%207.%20Image,%20JOSEPH%20SHOHMELIAN%20from%20Pixabay.jpg) ## [Dental patients benefit from 700,000 extra appointments](https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/dental-patients-benefit-from-700000-extra-appointments) Hundreds of thousands of people across England will be able to access urgent and emergency dental... ![Dental boost in Bridlington, with NHS capacity set to double](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/jarmoluk-dentist-428642_1280.jpg?width=600&name=jarmoluk-dentist-428642_1280.jpg) ## [Dental boost in Bridlington, with NHS capacity set to double](https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/dental-boost-in-bridlington-with-nhs-capacity-set-to-double) NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has awarded two new NHS dental contracts... ![Securing better waiting list data](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/dentist-428645_1280.jpg?width=600&name=dentist-428645_1280.jpg) ## [Securing better waiting list data](https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/securing-better-waiting-list-data) ![DTOC RGB Logo-2](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/DTOC%20RGB%20Logo-2.svg)![DTOC Rev Logo](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/DTOC%20Rev%20Logo.svg) The Dentist Times Owners Club is an exclusive, free-to-join community, designed specifically for dental practice owners.    **              Organised by**** Nexus Media Group** ![nmg-logo](https://dentist-times.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/nmg-logo.png?width=174&height=83&name=nmg-logo.png) Registered office: 3rd floor, 10 Rose & Crown Yard, King Street, London SW1Y 6RE ***[https://nexusmediagroup.co.uk/](https://nexusmediagroup.co.uk/)*** Registered in England & Wales No.7430935 VAT Registration Number: 629 547 604        --- © 2025 Dentist Times Owners Club ↑ ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dentist Times Owners Club", "url" : "https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/author/dentist-times-owners-club" }, "dateModified" : "2025-07-23T18:58:41.950Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-23T14:58:41.000Z", "headline" : "Satisfaction with NHS dentistry at ‘an all-time low’", "image" : [ "https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/caroline-lm-1lbvRjeF2JE-unsplash.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://dentist-times.co.uk/dentist-times-owners-club-insights/satisfaction-with-nhs-dentistry-at-an-all-time-low", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://dentist-times.co.uk/hubfs/NMG_Black_logo.svg" }, "name" : "Nexus Media Group" } } ```