Private dentistry

Launched: January 2002

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Purpose of the study

To address competition concerns and concerns regarding levels of consumer protection in the market.

To investigate transparency of prices, the level of competition and the way complaints are handled and redress offered. To look at access to dental services and patient guidance before treatment.

(Study followed super-complaint.)

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Findings

The findings of the study showed:

1. Consumers lack basic information on price, quality of service and treatments available on the NHS so unable to make informed choices.

2. Standards promoted in professional guidance published by the General Dental Council (GDC) not routinely monitored/enforced, and compliance in some areas low.

3. Unlike the NHS, there was no universal complaints system, and procedures for dealing with complaints and securing redress for consumers were inadequate.

4. Regulatory restrictions on the supply of dentistry services limited consumer choice, competition, business freedom and the potential to develop and deliver better services.

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Recommendations

The recommendations of the study were to:

1. improve consumer information through better self-regulation The regulatory framework should be strengthened and broadened to help ensure that consumers can make properly informed decisions about dental services. Compliance with the standards for patient information set out in the existing GDC guidance to dentists should be monitored and enforced

2. improve resolution of problems, complaints and redress Each practice should have a complaints procedure and patients should be made aware of this when they register with the practice. In line with NHS procedures, an independent complaints procedure should be established to examine complaints which could not be resolved at the practice level

3. end restrictions on certain professionals complementary to dentistry (for example, hygienists), so that they were free to supply their services directly to consumers. Support for Department of Health (DH) proposals to remove the restriction on the number of corporate dental bodies under the Dentists Act. Urged DH to consider removing the remaining restrictions.

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Action following market study

All the OFT recommendations were accepted.

1. The Dental Complaints Service, an independent complaints service funded by the General Dental Council (GDC), was established in March 2004 to help resolve complaints for private dental patients, with sanctions against dentists who fail to reveal all the options and full costs.

2. Changes to s60 Health Act 1999 removed restrictions on certain professionals and allowed the GDC to register additional care professionals.

3. OFT also carried out an awareness campaign - with a consumer information leaflet published in 2006 so that consumers of private dental services knew what information they needed and had a right to expect.

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Market study details and report

Download The private dentistry market in the UK (pdf 650 kb) March 2003
Download Survey of dental practices (pdf 279 kb) March 2003
Download Survey of consumers' experience of dental services (pdf 371 kb) March 2003
Download Dental practices' mystery shop report (pdf 335 kb) March 2003

See press release Private dentistry market must work better 26 March 2003.

See the British Dental Association's (BDA) response to OFT private dentistry inquiry on the British Dental Association's website.

See Government Action Plan on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website 23 June 2003

See the General Dentistry Council (GDC) response to Government's action plan for private dentistry on the General Dentistry Council's website 23 June 2003

Following a recommendation in the OFT report, the Dental Complaints Service, an independent complaints service funded by the General Dental Council, is established to help resolve complaints for private dental patients. Visit the Dental Complaints website for more details.

See OFT Guidance on choosing private treatment (pdf 199kb).

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Background information

See press release OFT launches major investigation into private dentistry 23 January 2002

Download OFT's letter to the Consumers' Association (pdf 19kb). 23 January 2002,

Download the preliminary findings on the issues raised by the Consumers' Association (pdf 35kb) 23 January 2002,

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