Private dental patients who experience problems with treatment are often reluctant to complain, with concerns about costs and quality among the most commonly reported issues, according to a new report from Which? magazine.

The consumer group surveyed 1,009 adults who said they or their dependants had experienced a problem with private dental treatment in the previous two years.

However, the British Dental Association warned against the research being used to ‘paint a misleading picture of private dentistry as a whole’ because it surveyed only those patients who had reported a problem.

The Which? study found that pricing was the main issue for consumers. It found:

  • 39% said they considered the cost of their treatment excessive;
  • 22% reported that they paid more than they had been quoted;
  • 21% saying prices had not been clear before treatment began.

Meanwhile, outside of pricing, it found:

  • 26% reported issues with treatment quality
  • 10% believed their dentist had made a clinical mistake.
  • 16% felt pressured to agree to particular treatments; and
  • 11% felt pressured to sign up to a dental payment plan.

The problems were reported at similar rates by patients at independent practices and those at practices belonging to a corporate group.

Examining patients’ experiences of seeking redress, the report found that just over six in ten of those who had experienced a problem did not complain to their dental practice.

Among those who did not complain, around a third were concerned about damaging their relationship with their dentist and the same proportion doubted that making a complaint would result in a positive outcome.

Satisfaction with the complaints process was higher among patients at group or corporate practices (76%) than at independent practices (53%).

Which? called on the government to give private dental patients access to an ombudsman with powers to investigate disputes and issue binding decisions, and make participation mandatory for practices.

It also recommended that the GDC strengthen its approach to complaints handling, including reviewing its guidance and making better use of complaints data.

Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, said: ‘People paying hundreds or even thousands of pounds for dental treatment should have clear rights when something goes wrong – yet private patients can be left with nowhere meaningful to turn.

‘Private dental patients deserve the same level of protection as people using other essential services.’

The British Dental Association (BDA) agreed that patients ‘have every right’ to expect transparency over costs and an effective complaints process, but said that the study didn’t accurately reflect experiences with private dentistry.

The BDA highlighted that the survey was conducted exclusively among 1,009 people who said they had experienced a problem with private dentistry in the previous two years, and argued that the findings from this group ‘cannot be meaningfully extrapolated to the millions of patients receiving private dental care across the UK’.

The association pointed out that it had commissioned polling conducted by YouGov earlier this year that found 84% of patients who had received private dental care in the previous five years were satisfied with that care.

BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘Which? set out to survey people who had already experienced a problem with private dental care. It would be entirely misleading to suggest their experiences are representative of the millions of patients treated by private dentists every year.’

The BDA also emphasised that dentists are already subject to ‘extensive professional regulation’ and have ‘clear obligations’ to communicate treatment options and costs to patients.

The association said it would ‘engage constructively’ with proposals to improve the existing complaints system, provided any changes are ‘proportionate, avoid unnecessary duplication and work fairly for both patients and dental professionals’.

Dr Crouch said: ‘Every dental patient deserves safe, high-quality care, clear information about costs and somewhere meaningful to turn to when they’re not satisfied.

‘But these findings need to be put firmly in perspective.

‘Dentists work incredibly hard to maintain the trust of their patients. The evidence is clear that the overwhelming majority are satisfied with the care they receive.