7 August 2025

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has opened a consultation on proposed changes to the NHS dental contract.

The NHS dental contract quality and payment reforms 2026 represent a significant and essential step on the journey to improve access to and quality of NHS dentistry.

Developed following engagement with the profession, the proposed changes aim to improve access for those requiring urgent care, enhance treatment pathways for complex cases, and deliver better preventative care for children.

This includes shifting away from the unit of dental activity (UDA) system towards a more balanced approach prioritising patient needs and professional fulfilment as well as creating fairer funding for complex treatments and developing new clinical pathways that integrate prevention and treatment. These changes should also help practices use the full dental team effectively while focusing resources where they're most needed.

Headlines are below.

  • mandate a proportion of contract capacity to be directed to unscheduled care, supported by new payment arrangements and in line with a national service specification
  • create new long term and planned pathways with improved payments to support care and treatment for patients with significant dental decay and/or significant gum disease
  • create a new course of treatment for the application of fluoride varnish on children, without a full dental check-up and which can be applied by extended duty dental nurses (EDDNs) between full check-ups
  • incentivise greater use of resin based fissure sealants in children’s permanent molar teeth by rebanding the treatment from band 1 to band 2 to reflect better the time and cost associated with this treatment
  • introduce a new band 2 sub band for denture modifications, relining and repairs
  • options to support reducing clinically unnecessary check-ups
  • introduce funded quality improvement activities for practices
  • provide practices with funding for annual appraisals for associate dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists who provide clinical NHS care
  • develop minimum terms of engagement set out in an NHS model contract for dental associates
  • extend minimum requirements of NHS service for discretionary support payments to include all NHS service, not just time on the dental Performers List
  • develop an NHS handbook for dental teams.

The consultation will close at 11.59pm on 19 August 2025. Staff working in NHS dentistry, commissioners, patients and organisations with experience in the dental sector are encouraged to submit their feedback on the proposals.

Any queries on the consultation can be directed to: dentistrycontract2026@dhsc.gov.uk.

 

 

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