The changing market of dentistry in England

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing access challenges in NHS dentistry in England. In this paper, we offer a snapshot of the dental market in post-pandemic England. Using Care Quality Commission and NHS Business Services Authority online datasets, we compared the number of dental providers with and without an NHS contract. We identified the two regions in England with the most and least progress made in COVID-19 recovery in terms of access to dental services since the pandemic: the London and South West regions respectively. In London, there has been growth in the dental market but only among private dental sites. In South West England, there has been a stagnation in the market but with a transition from NHS to private providers. These data show a concerning trend in the privatisation of the dental market, which is widening health inequalities across England.