Dental recovery plan unlikely to deliver target of 1.5m additional treatments

27 NOV 2024
According to a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO), the dental recovery plan launched in February 2024 with the aim that “everyone who needs to see a dentist will be able to,” is unlikely to deliver an additional 1.5 million treatments by March 2025. Even if achieved would still mean 2.6 million fewer treatments compared to six years ago. 
The report also reveals that, based on NHS England (NHSE) analysis, fewer new patients have received treatment each month since the plan’s implementation, compared to the same period in the previous year. 
Access to NHS dentistry across England remains below pre-pandemic levels, with 40% of adults recorded as having seen an NHS dentist in the 24 months to March 2024, compared to 49% in the 24 months prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also 483 fewer dentists providing some NHS care compared to 2019-20.  
By August 2024, the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) and NHSE had s…



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