Young dentists snub NHS to opt for private practice

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The shift towards private practice has been fuelled by the rise in cosmetic dentistry.

The government has pledged to create more training places for dentistry graduates, as new figures reveal younger dentists are prizing private practice over public sector careers.

Figures from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) Information Centre have shown the proportion of income generated by NHS work by dentists under 35 years of age has nearly halved over a five-year period.

In 2000-01, 64.7% of the income of dentists under the age of 35 came from the NHS, but by 2005-06 this figure had fallen to 36%.

Dentists in the older age groups have seen a much smaller change, with a drop from 58% to 47% for those aged over 55 years and from 55% to 44% for dentists aged 45 to 54.

Health minister Ann Keen said that an initial 40 extra training places would be available for graduates from 2009, in a bid to boost NHS intake.

She reported an added £32m-worth of funding would be made available to pay for the training, on top of the £30m already pledged to pay for increased intake in dental schools.

"We are continuing our drive to expand the NHS workforce by ensuring that every student dentist has access to vocational training upon graduation," Keen said.

"This vocational training will be targeted in those areas of the country where NHS dentists are in highest demand as part of our commitment to improving nationwide access.

Barry Cockcroft, the chief dental officer for England, said: "The growth in private practice over the last few years has mainly been within modern cosmetic practice, which has been embraced more by younger dentists [but] improving access to NHS dentists is a top priority for the government.

But he added: "There is currently no shortage of dentists bidding to provide local NHS dental services."

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