The professional body believes the increase announced on March 8, 2024, is set to be the largest in charge levels in the 75-year history of the NHS. From April 1, 2024 a band 1 treatment like a check-up will increase from £14.70 to £20.00, a 36.1 per cent increase. A band 2 like a filling will increase from £47.00 to £60.00, a 27.7 per cent increase. A band 3 like dentures will increase from £203 to £260.10, a 28.1 per cent increase.
Urgent care charges will more than double from £14.70 to £30.00. The BDA say this could leave the Welsh Government only paying £6 toward that NHS care, with the patient paying around 85 per cent of the cost.
The BDA has previously praised the ‘restraint’ exercised by the Welsh Government. But it says the administration now risks aping the tactics of the Westminster Government.
While some adults are exempt from charges, many on very modest incomes still have to pay fees in full. The BDA anticipates the impact could be profound given the socio-economic and oral health inequalities within Wales. The association says reforms to current exemptions from charges should be considered to provide a safety net for low-income, high-needs, fee paying patients.
The BDA has commissioned polling in England demonstrating how charges make patients delay or avoid treatment and encourage choices based on affordability rather than clinical recommendations. Work in 2023 found nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents in England delayed or went without NHS dental treatment for reasons of cost. Forty-five per cent said the price shaped the choice of treatment they opt for. There are widespread reports across the UK of patients declining restorative dentistry and choosing cheaper extractions.
Russell Gidney, chair of the Welsh General Dental Practice Committee, said, “If this money doesn’t end up providing better and more sustainable care then the Welsh Government will be following the Westminster playbook. Forcing patients to pay more, so they can pay less.
“Charges hikes should never provide cover for cuts. Any increases will inevitably force patients on modest incomes to delay dental care or avoid it entirely, and a proper safety net needs to be in place.
“Cardiff Bay must not go down a path that will widen already scandalous oral health inequalities.”