The privatisation of NHS dentistry? A national snapshot of general dental practitioners

There is a prevalent perception that NHS dental treatment is increasingly d ifficult to access, In order to access the validity of this perception data on the percentage of private and NHS patients treated by general dental pr actitioners (GDPs) were analysed. These data were derived from a national s urvey, The findings showed that GDPs can be divided into three broad groups on the basis of the proportion of patients treated privately or through th e National Health Service (NHS), Approximately 50% of GDPs nationally conce ntrate on NHS dentistry (85% or more of their patients are treated under th e NHS); 25% treat more than 70% of their patients privately; the remaining minority of practitioners fall between these two positions treating moderat e proportions of both private and NHS patients. Regional differences also e xist in the payment systems chosen by GDPs. The median percentage of privat e patients per dentist varies widely by area being around 50% in the South East and South West, 30% in London, 20% in the West Midlands and Eastern co unties and less than 10% elsewhere. In a multivariate regression GDP charac teristics were also significant in explaining the median percentage of priv ate patients per GDP. The findings add to widely field concerns about acces s to NHS dentistry, though suggest that problems may be limited to certain areas of the United Kingdom.