Dental Workforce Expansion and Contract Reforms

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

Restoring NHS dentistry is one of the Government’s top priorities. The Government are taking urgent action to improve NHS dentistry in the short term and laying the foundations to make it fit for the future.

Expanding the dental workforce is crucial to our ambitions. The Minister of State for Skills and I have written to the Chair of the Office for Students to increase the maximum fundable limit for dental school places in England from 809 to 859 places. This is the first sustained expansion of dental training since 2007 and will take effect from the 2027-28 academic year.

As announced in our 10-year health plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. Our intention is that this requirement will apply to individuals entering a dental course of study from the 2027-28 academic year. We will consult on the details of this requirement in due course.

The OfS has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for dental school places. The Minister of State for Skills and I have asked that the OfS focuses the expansion on new dental schools approved by the General Dental Council, but which do not currently receive Government funding for places.

I have also announced the award of £421,850 in one-off grant funding to the Royal College of Surgeons of England to support a rapid expansion of its “licence in dental surgery” exam. The LDS is one of the exams that dentists who have qualified overseas can pass to be eligible for registration with the GDC, a legal requirement to practise dentistry in the UK. In addition, the GDC has appointed UCL Consultants Ltd as the new provider for the overseas registration exam from 1 April 2026, with new contractual arrangements set to result in a significant increase to the number of dentists joining the register annually from 2028-29 via this route.

There is currently a significant backlog of overseas-qualified dentists waiting to take either the LDS exam or the ORE. Many candidates are already based in the United Kingdom and possess the skills to make a significant positive impact on NHS dental care.

These announcements will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health.

The Government are also committed to fundamental reform of the dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. This is our ambition, and it will take time to get right.

In summer 2025, we took an important first step, with a public consultation on proposals to address some of the pressing issues that dental teams face and support them to spend more time on patients with the greatest need. We published our response in December.

We have laid the first amendments to the National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005, the National Health Service (Personal Dental Services Agreements) Regulations 2005, and the National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulations 2005, in support of these reforms in Parliament. These amendments will come into force from the 1 April 2026 and will:

Embed the provision of urgent care into the dental contract, supported by increased payments for dentists delivering this care, making it easier for patients to get rapid support through the NHS.

Support increased use of cost-effective, evidence-based prevention interventions for children through introducing a new stand-alone fluoride varnish treatment for delivery by dental nurses, and by increasing the remuneration associated with fissure sealant treatments, therefore reducing the opportunities for disease progression.

Alongside these amendments, we will also lay the National Health Service (Dental Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 before Parliament to increase dental patient charges in England from 1 April 2026.

NHS dental patient charges provide an important revenue source for NHS dentistry and are typically uplifted on 1 April each financial year. We uplift the rate at the same point each year and for the 2026-27 financial year, the charges will be uplifted by approximately 1.66%, which is now a below-inflation increase. Dental patients will benefit from the continued provision that this important revenue supports.

From 1 April 2026 the dental charge payable for a band 1 course of treatment and urgent treatments will rise by 50p, from £27.40 to £27.90. For a band 2 course of treatment, there will be an increase of £1.30 from £75.30 to £76.60. A band 3 course of treatment will increase by £5.40 from £326.70 to £332.10

We will continue to provide financial support to those who need it most through a range of dental charge exemptions. Patients remain exempt if they are:

under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education;

pregnant or had a baby in the previous 12 months;

being treated in an NHS hospital and your treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist—patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges;

receiving low-income benefits, or you are under 20 and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.

Support also remains available through the NHS low income scheme for those not eligible for exemptions or full remission.

These reforms are an important step, but not the end point, and we will continue to go further before the end of this Parliament.

[HCWS1392]