Dental contract reform has been long awaited, but might just have to wait a little longer. Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently told the BBC that “unless I am 100% certain I can achieve the promise, I don’t make it”.
However, on 8 July 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care announced a major consultation on the NHS dental contract in an effort to increase the amount of care provided.
The new reforms aim to prioritise those with urgent and complex needs. Planned changes include:
Other measures include “better use” of tooth resin sealants for children with a history of dental decay, and applying fluoride varnish on children’s teeth without a full dental check-up.
New rewards and incentives for dental staff are also reportedly planned, as well as making professionals feel like a bigger part of the NHS.
The consultation will run for six weeks, until 19 August 2025.
Change to the NHS dental contract has long been expected after it was part of the Labour party’s election manifesto in 2024.
Established in 2006, many feel the NHS dental contract is no longer fit for purpose in its current form, as increasing costs and pressures involved in running a practice have made it financially unfeasible to fulfil.
Whilst he promoted some of the positive changes already made for patients, including 700,000 extra urgent dentistry appointments and a supervised toothbrushing programme for children in the most deprived communities, he noted that more work needs to be done.
The NHS dental contract has been a point of contention for many professionals for as long as it has existed. Today, many dental professionals who perform NHS care are seeing substantial losses that make it difficult to maintain.
A British Dental Association report notes that a simple new NHS patient exam loses a regular practice around £7.69, and providing a set of dentures loses the practice £42.60.
Their 2025 analysis suggests that the entirety of NHS dentistry is being subsidised by private care to the tune of £332m a year, even after many clinicians have already walked away from the service.
How any new NHS dental contract shapes up in the current financial climate is yet to be seen, but the progression of a consultation and professional survey could suggest change is in the works.
Main image credit: Unsplash
