Charge increase providing cover for NHS cuts, say BDA

The third year of above inflation increases of around five per cent a year will bring charges for a basic check-up to £21.60, and charges for items like crowns or dentures to £256.50. According to the Government’s own estimates this amounts to patients paying in an additional £72.4 million over the course of the financial year.

Dental charges are increasing as a proportion of the NHS budget, while contributions from general taxation are in long-term decline. The BDA estimates patients will be contributing a full third of England's NHS dental budget by 2020 – and are on course to exceed government spending by 2032.

Nearly one in five patients have delayed treatment for reasons of cost according to official statistics. Recent academic studies show 600,000 patients with toothache, over 11,000 a week, are choosing to head to their GPs, who are not subject to charges but are unequipped to provide dental treatment. The BDA estimates these appointments cost the NHS over £26 million a year. Some 135,000 patients per year are attending A&E units with dental problems.