In a letter to the watchdog Rachel Reeves said: "The scourge of hidden costs, lack of transparency and overtreatment has blighted families in need of dental treatment for too long. That’s why I want to see urgent action taken to help reduce prices, whilst the cost of living still puts pressure on families across the country.”
Private practices have had to cover significant increases in overheads following the Chancellor's first budget, with surging costs across the piece. Over the last 4 years the professional body estimate private fees have increased at an average of 13.8% - when costs of delivering care have increased by as much in a single year. Cumulative inflation for the period 2021 to date stands at 24.5%.
The BDA has stressed that private dentistry needs to operate to market forces, with prices that cover the costs of delivering treatment, often using techniques and materials unavailable on the NHS.
While expressing concern over the cost of living, the Chancellor has not provided a penny of new investment to support the rebuild of NHS dentistry, with a petition backed by over 120,000 delivered to Government last week, pressing on Ministers to fill the £1.5bn hole in the budget required to support promised reform and restore care to millions.
A generation of savage cuts have left typical NHS practices delivering many treatments like dentures and simple checkups at a financial loss. The BDA told the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year that loss-making NHS services were being kept afloat by a cross subsidy from private work of over £330m. Most practices provide a mixture of NHS and private care.
The CMA is said to be ‘exploring the merits’ of an inquiry.
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said:
“This call for an investigation is utterly perverse.
“The Chancellor is singling out private dentists for doing what any business does: covering their costs, some of which are of the Chancellor's own making.
“At the same time, she’s very happy to starve NHS services of vital funding.
“We’d remind her that profits from private care are all that are keeping NHS dentistry afloat.”