The Financial Times wrote about the UK dental scene in the summer of 2025 with a glowing story about the University of Suffolk CIC. Now they have focussed their attention onto the workforce challenges in a feature entitled: “Why Britain doesn‘t have enough dentists.”
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As His Majesty‘s Opposition in the House of Commons begin to emerge from their post-election doldrums, one sign of renewed confidence is that the Conservatives have begun to talk about dentistry.
Dental anxiety remains a major barrier to routine attendance and preventive care, with auditory triggers—particularly the characteristic high-frequency noise of the high-speed handpiece—playing a significant role for many patients. The acoustic profile of the turbine handpiece, often described by patients as a high-pitched, aversive whine, has long been recognised anecdotally in clinical practice but has received comparatively little rigorous scientific study.
The £20000 ‘Golden Hello‘ scheme was set up to provide an appealing incentive that would encourage dentists to go and work in some of the "dental deserts" where NHS care was not available.
Pre 2006, fee per item NHS dentistry was often described as a game of snakes and ladders which, in theory, balanced out. Despite this, dentists were accused of gaming the system by focussing on allegedly more profitable items. This was somewhat odd, given that the fees were supposedly set up to deliver a neutral hourly rate.
What is important to Dr Helen Phillips, the new GDC Chair who succeeded Lord Toby Harris on October 1st 2025?