A majority of family dentists in England plan to reduce the number of National Health Service (NHS) patients they treat amid ongoing funding concerns, according to a recent survey by the British Dental Association (BDA). The survey, conducted among 415 dentists, found that 63% intend to scale back NHS work, while only 1% expect to increase it.

The findings underscore persistent challenges within NHS dentistry, despite recent budget increases. Labour raised the annual dental budget to £3.5 billion for the 2024-25 fiscal year; however, the BDA argues that an additional £1.5 billion annually would be required to restore NHS dentistry as a universally accessible service.

Very few dentists surveyed—just 10%—felt that recent adjustments to the NHS dental contract have led to improvements. Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, highlighted the ongoing struggles, stating that minor contract tweaks have failed to address fundamental issues, leaving millions of patients with limited options and many dentists disillusioned and leaving NHS practice.

“The longer this profession is left to wait, the less of a service there’ll be to save,” Pabary remarked, referencing earlier Labour commitments prior to the last general election that had raised hopes for substantial reform.

Dentists report mounting pressures from inadequate funding and contract conditions. One practitioner, Tim Hodges, described the moral and financial dilemma he faces, noting that transitioning patients to private care often feels like delivering NHS services “for free.” Last month, it was reported that one in ten dental practices in England have entirely withdrawn from NHS contracts since March 2017, converting to private-only services.

This trend reflects a broader context in which NHS dental funding remained stagnant for over a decade under Conservative governments, resulting in a system that could accommodate only half the population by the time Labour assumed office in 2024. Since then, additional funding has enabled increased access, with 1.8 million more courses of dental treatment delivered between April and October 2025 compared with the same period before the election.

The BDA, along with campaigns like Dentists for All, continues to call for a return to universal NHS dental access. Labour has pledged to reform the “flawed” dental contract during the current parliamentary session, seeking to alleviate pressures on both patients and practitioners. Discussions between the BDA and the Department of Health are ongoing as stakeholders aim to find solutions to the entrenched challenges facing NHS dentistry.