Dentists’ long term confidence continues to fall

The latest Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking Healthcare Confidence Index has found that confidence amongst dentists increased when looking at the short term (next 12 months) but fell to a new low when considering their long term future over the next five years.

Two thirds of NHS dentists are not confident that the proposed new NHS dental contract will be adequately funded.  84 per cent of private dentists would not consider taking on NHS work - compared to 62 per cent in 2012.

Dentists are not confident in the future business prospects of their profession when they look five years ahead, despite being more positive over their immediate futures, according to the latest Lloyds TSB Commercial Healthcare Confidence Index.

Short term optimism has risen amongst dentists since last year, showing an improvement in positive sentiment from a net balance of nine to eighteen, while long term confidence has dipped from a net balance of -60 to -77.