New report reveals small rise in NHS dental workforce in England

More than 30 million courses of dental treatment were delivered in 2023/24 in England  

A new report published by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) reveals that 24,300 dentists performed NHS dental activity in England in 2023/24, marking a 0.4 per cent rise from the previous year’s 24,227.

However, this figure represents a 1.5 per cent decrease from 24,700 dentists with NHS activity in 2019/20.

The report covers NHS dental activity and the NHS dental workforce in England from 2019/20 to 2023/24.

It is the first release from NHSBSA following the transition from NHS England, which previously issued the report.

There were 34 million courses of dental treatment in England for 2023/24, a 4.3 per cent increase from 2022/23. The total units of dental activity (UDAs) rose by 3.4 per cent to 73 million.

Other key findings include:

• There were 18 million adult patients seen in the 24 months up to the end of March 2024
• There were 6.7 million child patients seen in the 12 months up to the end of March 2024
• Courses of treatment for adults increased by 2.2 per cent to 23 million, while those for children rose by 9.0 per cent to 11.2 million.
• Among child treatment courses, more than 56 per cent included fluoride varnish.

The total number of units of dental activity awarded to dental activity claims was 72.5 million in 2023/24, reflecting a 3.4 per cent increase from the previous year but a 9.1 per cent decrease from the 79.7 million UDAs in 2019/20.

Total revenue from patient charges amounted to £774 million in 2023/24, a 2.7 per cent increase from £754 million the previous year.

In February 2024, the previous government introduced the NHS dental recovery plan, backed by £200 million in funding. The plan was designed to provide over 1.5 million additional NHS dental treatments or up to 2.5 million NHS dental appointments within the next 12 months.