New leadership

The deal also sees Oasis enter the attractive dental market in the Republic of Ireland.

The addition of Smiles will increase Oasis’s turnover from £160m to over £210m, through the provision of quality NHS, private and specialist dental care to over 2.5 million patients, as their practice network grows by 37 per cent from 204 to 281.

The UK dental market has expanded during the course of the last decade, reaching an estimated £5.7 billion in 2012. Oasis’s acquisition of Smiles comes at a time when the dental sector is expected to experience further growth over the next five years.

Justin Ash, CEO at Oasis Healthcare Group, said: “This is a transformational deal for Oasis and demonstrates our ability to drive growth and consolidation, building the only national brand in the fragmented dental market.

“We believe this is outstanding news for the 2.5m patients of the combined group and all patients seeking high quality, easy accessible dental care. We are also pleased to be extending our partnership with the NHS across the UK and to be providing care under the HSE in the Republic of Ireland”.