Understanding shifts in the dental landscape

As is often the case, dentistry today is in a state of change. There are several challenges that need to be overcome if the profession is to effectively deliver care to patients in the immediate and long-term future.

Some of the concerns centre on NHS dentistry and the impact that the current framework is having on the profession’s ability to care for patients.

The overwhelming challenge for NHS dentistry is attracting and retaining a workforce. This applies across the UK. NHS dentistry is not currently an attractive place to work for many professionals. While some changes have been made to the contractual frameworks, in England, those have not been enough to stem the flow of professionals seeking a better balance in their working lives. The problem has been there since 2006, but the pandemic accelerated the change we are seeing.

Part of the solution for many professionals and practices is moving towards private dentistry. This presents its own set of challenges, in addition to its benefits. For the profession, the shift to private dentistry offers more freedom in how they approach the provision of care. It enables more time to deliver dentistry, with fewer constraints and less bureaucracy.