Newly qualified dentists could be forced to begin their careers working in the NHS
A Consulaton launched today asks whether newly qualified dentists should commit to delivering a minimum amount of NHS work after graduating or repay some training fees
Training an individual dentist can cost up to around £300,000, of which costs in the region of £200,000 are not repayable by the student.
However, a growing proportion of dentists are opting to go straight into private practice or are choosing to deliver little to no NHS work shortly after completing postgraduate dental foundation training.
Of more than 35,000 dentists registered with the General Dental Council in England, just over 24,000 delivered some NHS care in England in 2022/23. This means nearly one-third of registered dentists are not contributing to NHS dentistry and may be working solely in private practice.
