Major NHS Dental Contract Changes Announced
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- Published: Tuesday, 16 December 2025 08:23
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 6849
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced what they describe as “A major boost for millions of NHS Dental patients.” The newly published reforms are described as “the most significant modernisation of the NHS dental contract in years”
The changes with a strong focus on prioritising those with the greatest needs, will come into effect on April 1st 2026. A key feature of the revised contract will be an emphasis on better serving those with urgent care needs and those requiring complex treatment. There will also be greater incentives to offer longer term treatments, including periodontal disease, through the NHS. To release monies for this, the regular six monthly examination will be scrapped, and replaced with a 24 monthly visit, it appears.
These contract reforms represent one part of the government’s plan for dental care, along with supervised brushing for 3 to 5 year olds, fluoridation schemes, and extra urgent care appointments.
The reforms will mean new working patterns for practices that wish to remain NHS providers. They will make, “urgent dental care a core part of what NHS dental practices must provide through the new contract.” However, the DHSC press release says that dentists will be “fairly incentivised” to treat urgent and emergency cases.
Describing the reforms, Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock said: "This is about putting patients first and supporting those with the greatest need, while backing our NHS dentists, making the contract more attractive, and giving them the resources to deliver more. This marks the first step towards a new era for NHS dentistry after a decade of decline, one that delivers for patients and our dedicated dental professionals.”
Making more use of the whole dental team will see dental nurses encouraged to apply fluoride varnish to children’s teeth. Dental staff will also receive a fairer payment for applying fissure sealants.
To improve retention, NHS dental teams will also get more support through annual reviews, learning and development, in addition to government funding to support sick leave and guidance on NHS contractual terms and benefits.
The DHSC press release quoted two supporters of the reforms.
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair, The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) said: “We broadly welcome the dental contract reforms and look forward to receiving more details as soon as possible in the new year so that practices have the time and ability to prepare to implement these changes.” He went on to mention the workforce challenges resulting from a claimed shortage of 2500 dentists.
Dr Oosh Devalia, President, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) said: “BSPD welcomes today’s announcement on NHS Dental Contract reform as a positive step and we look forward to seeing what this means for children and young people.”
Both acknowledged their organisations inclusion in the consultations that helped develop the reforms.
DHSC referred to the public consultation which it had run for six weeks in the summer of 2025. Over half of respondents to the consultation had agreed the proposals would improve the current NHS dental contract and support practices to prioritise care for those who need it most.
The changes will require legislative amendments, which the government plans to introduce from April 2026. NHS England will work with Integrated Care Boards and clinical experts to produce detailed implementation guidance.
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