Introduction

The market insight report is a new offering for members, detailing a range of issues, policies and economic trends which affect your practice. It uses bespoke, detailed and unique research from our analysts and insight from our advisors to give you the information you need to make critical business decisions.

How to use this report

Throughout the report you'll find signposts to other related advice as well as support services.

Source materials are shown with bracketed numbers (1) and linked at the bottom of the page.

Please note that this report is best viewed on a desktop device.

Questions or comments? Contact us at [email protected]

Foreword by Eddie Crouch, BDA Chair

"As dentists, we are clinical experts, but we are business people too, and the BDA is here to support us in navigating the business of dentistry."

1. Economic and political conditions

There is evidence that inflationary pressure on practices remains higher than for the wider economy, owing to the potent mix of high staffing costs, high use of energy and plastic intensive materials and recent laboratory supply bottlenecks.

2. Cost of care

There is consistent evidence that the cost of dental care is rising higher than the rate of inflation, regardless of how that it is measured.

3. NHS earnings

Our modelling indicates that the total amount of private revenue which subsidised losses in the NHS to be over £300 million in 2023.

4. Private earnings

There always has been a consistent market for private dental care in the UK. Now more than half of revenue generated by high street practices comes from private dentistry.

5. Practice market

The dental property market has experienced similar shifts to the wider property and commercial market, owing to the importance of interest rate rises and wider economic shifts.

6. Staffing

Practices have faced a complex web of challenges in recruitment and retention in the last couple of years.

7. Changes to employment law

Major changes to the costs of employing staff were announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the October 2024 budget. Our detailed analysis assesses the potential impact on practices.

You do dentistry, we help you do business

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