A new report from consumer watchdog Which? is calling for wholesale change in the way the GDC handles complaints relating to private dentistry.
We are ready to engage constructively with proposals to improve the existing complaints system, provided any changes are proportionate, avoid unnecessary duplication and work fairly for both patients and dental professionals. But this investigation was not merely singling out the private complaints process, it was unfairly tarring both private dentistry and private dentists.
We have set out our concerns about the approach Which? have taken. Certainly, our own polling conducted by YouGov earlier this year found that 84% of patients who had received private dental care in the previous five years were satisfied with it.
We believe patients have every right to expect transparency over costs and effective means to seek redress. But dentists are already subject to extensive professional regulation and have clear obligations to communicate treatment options and costs to patients. Where treatment plans change, dentists should explain the clinical reasons and any implications for costs. Practices are also expected to operate clear complaints procedures, and concerns about private treatment can be escalated to the Dental Complaints Service.
And if changes are on the cards, we are clear dentists already make a significant financial contribution to these processes through the Annual Retention Fee. Any changes to how patient complaints are handled should not add to these costs borne by the profession.
“Every dental patient deserves safe, high-quality care, clear information about costs and somewhere meaningful to turn when they’re not satisfied”, says BDA Chair Eddie Crouch.
“But these findings need to be put firmly in perspective. Dentists work incredibly hard to maintain the trust of their patients. The evidence is clear the overwhelming majority are satisfied with the care they receive.”
The Which? investigation also states that private dentistry has grown from 42% of the market in 2010 to 69% in 2025, driven largely by declining access to NHS dental appointments. This sits with our own estimates and is the direct result of choices made by successive governments in the period.
“There is an elephant in the room here,” Eddie Crouch added. “Millions have few options because a core part of our health service has been left to wither.”
In both the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority investigation into private dentistry, and in our calls for real reform and fair funding of NHS services, we will continue to fight the corner for all dentists.
