The association is now urging dentists to show their support in petition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
While a range of policies have been set in place by the UK government, self-employed workers still lack the full range of support offered to those in employment. The proposed fund would extend a proportion of average income to those contractors facing a dramatic drop in incomes over in the coming months.
The Norwegian government has already committed to this approach, offering the self-employed 80 per cent of their average income over the past three years.
While the BDA is pressing for specific mitigation packages for dentists in talks with the UK’s four administrations, it wants to ensure no self-employed dentists are left facing financial hardship at this unprecedented time.
BDA chair Mick Armstrong said, “As part of the UK’s 5m self-employed, GDPs are not seeing the same protections offered to employed workers.
“And that is why we are working with groups representing creatives, counsellors and entrepreneurs to ensure government offers its full support to all workers through the crisis.
“A temporary income protection fund is a simple idea that governments abroad are already putting into practice. It means a time-limited, targeted support to keep colleagues afloat over the coming months.
“We want to ensure every practice and every practitioner gets the help they need in the months ahead.”