The Competition and Markets Authority is in the middle of its investigation into the private dental sector, and it is asking practice owners how much the cost of an average white filling has increased and whether they benchmark using NHS costs. Peter Ingle reports
In March 2026, the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that they were launching a market study into the private dentistry sector, ‘to make sure it is working well for UK consumers’.
As GDPUK reported earlier in the year, a CMA Market Study can lead to direct CMA action or making recommendations to governments to improve competition and consumer outcomes. It can also inform government policy making.
The CMA is officially a ‘non ministerial department.’ It functions via a GOV.UK website. The CMA management team CVs could have been generated by AI instructed to produce a batch of typical lanyardista profiles. They include stints at OFGEM, the BBC, a civil service permanent secretary and assorted lawyers. There seems to be little business experience outside of very large corporations, and no evidence of entrepreneurship.
The CMA inquiry was launched at the behest of the former chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who had written to them that, ‘the scourge of hidden costs, lack of transparency and overtreatment has blighted families in need of dental treatment for too long.’ She wanted to see ‘urgent action taken to help reduce prices.’ One reason for this urgency was that ‘the cost of living still puts pressure on families across the country.’
No one can accuse the competition authority of lacking a sense of urgency, since a mere eight months after receiving Reeves’ request, the CMA are now asking dental practice owners specific questions as part of their enquiry into private dentistry. The original consultation, held in March, questioned consumers and dental professionals. The latter was a series of fairly neutral questions around the challenges faced by the private dental sector.
The CMA say that this latest survey will help them understand the realities faced by independent practices. It will also add some perspective to the input that the CMA has already received from larger providers.
The Authority point out that this survey is for practice owners and practice managers, and that they are only seeking a single response from each practice. The consultation opened on 13 July and closes on 31 July 2026, and can be found on their website.
After the initial location and contact information has been provided by respondents, the first specific question is about how patients pay, offering pay as you go, plans, and finance, as some of the possible answers.
The next question asks for a rating of some of the barriers to establishing an independent practice in your area. These include finding staff and regulation.
This is followed by a question asking about the division between NHS, private non cosmetic, and private cosmetic treatment, and the anticipated change in their relative proportions over the next two years. This is the point at which it is fair to ask if any dentists were involved in preparing the survey, since the demarcation between cosmetic and non-cosmetic dentistry (the CMA’s wording) is very subjective.
The following question asks for the percentage increase in cost of two treatments over the last two years, one of which is ‘an average white filling.’ Cynics might see a headline from the final report pointing out that these fees have gone up over the general inflation figures, conveniently ignoring the fact that medical inflation runs at much higher rate.
Question 10 seeks the responder’s level of agreement with the statement, ‘When setting or reviewing prices for private (preventative and clinically necessary) dental services, your dental practice(s) benchmark your private prices against the NHS/Health Service prices (ie use NHS prices as a reference point to set your private pricing).’
This is not as odd as it may seem to practice owners, since given their lack of business experience one can easily imagine the CMA’s management team asking the director of Emirates first class division if they use Ryanair’s fares as a benchmark.
To its credit, the consultation finishes with two questions that invite a free text response, the first asking about key challenges facing practices, and a second catch all, ‘Is there anything further you would like to add about your experience of providing private dentistry?’
To quote the CMA introduction to the survey: ‘The CMA is particularly keen to hear from independent dental practice owners to inform its review and any possible recommendations. The questionnaire should take less than 30 minutes to complete, and your insights will help the CMA build a balanced picture of the private dentistry market and understand the realities faced by independent practices.’
Busy independent practice owners and managers may wonder on the return on investment that the even modest amount of time spent completing this survey may offer. It is worth noting that even at the earliest stages of the process, mydentist felt it worth a seven page, carefully prepared response to the invitation to comment on the scope for the CMA report.
Back in November 2025 the British Association of Private Dentistry (BAPD) offered a no nonsense statement on the then Chancellor’s request for a CMA investigation. They pointed out that scrutinising private dental fees at a time when the NHS dental service was in a parlous state was aiming at the wrong target. Indeed, the BAPD observed that: ‘Private dentistry is the only part of UK dentistry that is actually working right now.’
Sensing a political rather than health related motivation for the chancellor’s request, the BAPD offered its cooperation with the CMA with a proviso: ‘What we cannot accept is the use of a CMA study as political cover for decisions that have already been made behind the scenes. If the Government is contemplating a structural shift, it must be upfront with the public – and must draw on the expertise of those who actually deliver care.’
The final findings of the CMA’s 12 month review are expected by March 2027. Whether the new prime minister, new health secretary, and new chancellor, will still be looking for a stick to beat private dentists with, remains to be seen.