Common currency

The UDA has been the measure of dental activity for four years now and practices in England and Wales are still trying to work out if they are being paid fairly for what they do. The UDA has almost universally been detested by practitioners since its introduction in 2006.  Whilst many would like to see its demise, the health department appears to be keeping faith with its currency. 

The UDA has many flaws, not least that it’s the main measure of performance used to date. How can a treatment plan that involves an examination and occlusal amalgam be valued the same in UDA terms as an examination and molar RCT?  This comparison does not make sense.  It is not only dentists who find this odd, even patients look surprised that the hour-long RCT that is being undertaken is charged at the same price as that filling they had earlier in the year.