Foreword
I am pleased to present to you the BDA’s latest exclusive offering to members: the dental market insight report. Drawing on the expertise of the BDA, internal research working with members and external analysis of the economy it aims to give you the best possible information to make decisions as business owners and leaders in dentistry.
The past few years have presented varied challenges to our profession, most of which have had a bearing on the commercial operation of practices. Dentists working in general practice, be they associates, practice owners and partners or running practices on behalf of larger groups are uniquely exposed to changes in the economy. Dentistry requires the use of bespoke materials, relies on a lot of electricity, and is nothing without its people. Their expertise, care and skill are what keep practices open. Yet, all of these things need paying for, and most of them have become more expensive.
Following the pandemic, our practices experienced a rise in the cost of living not seen since the 1980s when I was first practicing in southeast London. Colleagues from across the four nations have experienced delayed contract uplifts, consistent below-inflation pay rises and an increased urgency, complexity and need from patients unable to see us during lockdown. Is it any wonder there is a crisis of access?
We’ve needed to adapt our business to changing times, making complex financial decisions about how to set our private fees and how much to pay our staff to recruit and retain them.
It is within this context that the first annual dental market insight report has been produced. The following pages cover a range of areas unique to dentistry, giving you up to date information on the costs facing practices. The report covers staffing and dental earnings too, broken down into data and analysis of both NHS and private revenue. At the end of the report there is also a breakdown of the upcoming changes employers need to be aware of.
Hopefully, this will go some way to give you the confidence to make the decisions right for your business needs and succeed in an increasingly uncertain world. 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.
Eddie Crouch
BDA Chair
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