Key Summary
- Patients needing complex treatments can avail a single comprehensive package of treatment with a dentist over a longer period
- These reforms will make it easier for people to access an urgent appointment at their local NHS dental practice
- The dentist will be incentivised to deliver this under our new standardised payment package
The government is planning reforms in NHS dental contract to make it easier for patients to get urgent dentist appointments and save on fees.
The changes, which will be in place from April 2026, are aimed at making the NHS dentistry budget, estimated at around £4 billion, provide value for money for taxpayers and incentivise dentists.
It will prioritise treatments for those who need them most.
For example, a patient with tooth decay in several teeth or severe gum disease would require complex treatment. Currently, they need to be treated over multiple appointments.
They will now get a single comprehensive package of treatment with a dentist over a longer period, tailored to their needs and including oral health advice.
This could save a patient up to £225 in fees.
The dentist will be incentivised to deliver this under our new standardised payment package.
These reforms will make it easier for people to access an urgent appointment at their local NHS dental practice, saving them from travelling out of their area.
To improve retention, NHS dental teams will also receive more support through annual reviews, learning and development, in addition to government funding to support sick leave and guidance on NHS contractual terms and benefits.
The changes will require legislative amendments, which the government plans to introduce from April 2026.
NHS England will work with integrated care boards and clinical experts to produce detailed implementation guidance.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock said, "We inherited a broken NHS dental system and have worked at pace to start fixing it - rolling out urgent and emergency appointments and bringing in supervised toothbrushing for young children in the most deprived areas.
"Now we are tackling the deep-rooted problems so patients can have faith in NHS dentistry - these changes will make it easier for anyone with urgent dental needs to get NHS treatment, preventing painful conditions from spiralling into avoidable hospital admissions.
"This is about putting patients first and supporting those with the greatest need, while backing our NHS dentists, making the contract more attractive, and giving them the resources to deliver more."
Association of Dental Groups (ADG) executive chair Neil Carmichael said, "We broadly welcome the dental contract reforms and look forward to receiving more details as soon as possible in the new year so that practices have the time and ability to prepare to implement these changes.
"The ADG was part of the consultation process, and it is good to see that steps are being taken to address the underpayment of more complex care, as well as support urgent care."
Carmichael, however, said that steps should be taken to shore up the NHS England dental workforce, which is short by over 2,500 dentists.
"Embracing the whole dental workforce is crucial, so to see in the plan further encouragement of the team, including dental nurses to take on treatments, with fairer recompense, is a positive move," he added.
More funding needed
Nuffield Trust chief executive Thea Stein said, “The government recognises that approach is broken - and will rightly change it for some key groups of patients.
"But they amount to tweaks to the dental contract to help people who will often have been failed by the sorry state of NHS dentistry in general. More funding for emergency care will be a mandate for desperate measures for those shut out too long."
“Fundamental contract reform – which the government have promised – must follow the initiatives announced today. But for it to restore universal NHS dentistry, it would also require billions in additional funding each year. With that not on the cards, we need a bold approach that sets out clearly for whom NHS dentistry is to be prioritised.”
NHS Confederation director of primary care Ruth Rankine said, “Dentists and their teams will welcome the government’s recognition that NHS dentistry needs reform and that patients with the greatest needs must be prioritised. These proposals move in the right direction”.
“Our dentistry members are clear that restoring access at scale will require more than adjustments to the existing contract. Without expanding capacity, enabling multidisciplinary teams, and shifting from activity-based incentives to prevention- and time-based care, the system risks managing scarcity rather than fixing it.”
“This is a necessary step, but it must be followed by deeper, structural reform of the dental contract if patients are to see real and lasting improvement.”
British Dental Association's General Dental Practice Committee chair Shiv Pabar said, “These are the biggest tweaks this failed contract has seen in its history.
“We do hope changes can make things easier for practices and patients in the interim, but this cannot be the end of road.
“We need a response proportionate to the challenges we face, to give NHS dentistry a sustainable future.”
The BDA said this package has "no new money behind it. We have stressed that the success of longer-term reform will hinge on adequate investment both to ensure the financial sustainability of dental practices and restore care to millions.
"The dental budget has remained effectively static in cash terms since the onset of the coalition Government, with savage real terms cuts leaving the typical practice delivering routine NHS treatments like checkups or dentures at a financial loss."
