UK Dentistry Market Report 2024
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Report Summary
Demand for dentistry continues to be strong, but supply-side issues since the COVID-19 pandemic have not been resolved, leaving a legacy of problems in NHS dentistry provision. This has been compounded by skills restrictions and the greater appeal of providing private services in the UK dental market. The cost of living crisis has impacted more discretionary private cosmetic demand, but it has had a much lower impact on demand for private GDS activity because of the necessity of treatments.
UK Dentistry Market – Current Landscape
Despite the recently revised NHS contract, the dental profession is still dissatisfied with the ‘treadmill’ approach to dentistry and many continue to find alternative work through private practice. The Labour government has committed to reform the NHS dental contract, but it took 16 years for the previous contract to be amended in 2022, and the capacity for reform is limited by public spending pressures and wider NHS issues.
Technological advancements enable dentists to provide more efficient, effective and affordable treatments to their patients. 3D printing, for example, enables dentists to offer more tailored dental solutions to their patients, while digital impressions using intraoral scanners allow for more accurate and precise impressions – reducing the need for repeat appointments and increasing patient comfort.
UK Dentistry – Market Statistics
- UK dental market size: Total dental care expenditure in the UK is estimated to reach £10.6 billion in 2024.
- UK dental market forecast: The UK dentistry market is forecast to show real term growth of nearly 20% between 2024 and 2029.
UK Dentistry Market Report – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
- COVID-19 legacy issues and how it has continued to challenge NHS provision
- Market size and segmentation values, including NHS, private GDS and private cosmetic dentistry, over the last five-year period
- A five-year market forecast
- Key market drivers and the impact of technological advancements
- The major changes in the structure of the industry including the emergence of very large corporate dentists
Report Scope
For the purposes of this report, our definition of the UK dentistry market includes the following sectors:
The NHS Primary General Dental Service – This includes revenue from patient fees and government payments to practices under dental contacts.
The Private Sector – This includes patient fees paid on a per-treatment basis to dentists and revenues from dental plans. The private sector is segmented into primary general dental services – the same treatments available under the NHS.
Private Cosmetic Dental Services – This includes additional treatments where there is no defined patient need. The terms ‘dental care professionals’ and ‘dental specialists’ are used to refer to those employees qualified to support dentists, such as dental technicians, nurses, therapists and hygienists.
Corporate dentistry groups are defined as incorporated companies operating three or more dental practices.
The companies profiled in this Report include a range of operators in the corporate dental industry (companies operating three or more dental practice). They are selected as being representative of a cross-sample of types of operator rather than solely being the largest industry participants.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Claudia Preedy, Mintel’s Senior B2B Analyst. Claudia joined Mintel in October 2013. She has over nine years’ experience researching B2B markets, identifying market trends, analysing the impact of the regulatory, economic and political environment and providing market forecasts. Claudia holds a Master’s degree in Marketing Management.
As wider economic conditions improve, growth drivers for private general dental services and cosmetic demand shall strengthen. However, NHS dentistry funding is expected to remain constrained.
Claudia Preedy
Senior B2B Analyst
Table of Contents
-
Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the Dentistry Market
- Technological advancements will enhance patient care and streamline operations
- Growth opportunities in cosmetic dentistry
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Dentistry market set for sustained growth
- Graph 1: total dental expenditure and forecast, by provider, 2020-29
- Trend towards ‘mixed’ practices
- NHS dentistry set to remain lowest growth sector…
- …as dental care provision continues to shift to the private sector
- Cosmetic dentistry remains key long-term driver for private dentistry
- Companies and brands
- The rise of the corporate dentist
- Corporates are reshaping their portfolios
-
Market Size and Forecast
- Market size
- Total UK dental care expenditure
- A mixed market and supply
- Shift to private dentistry
- NHS dentistry activity remains below pre-pandemic levels
- NHS dental treatments
- Graph 2: Number of NHS dental treatments delivered in England, 2020-24
- More fundamental NHS dentistry reforms required
- Market forecast
- UK dentistry market forecast to show real term growth of 19% between 2024 and 2029
- Private GDS share of total dentistry expenditure is set to rise
- Graph 3: dental expenditure forecast, by provider, 2025-29
- NHS dentistry remains restricted
- Continued trend to private dentistry
- Demand for cosmetic dentistry expected to increase as cost of living pressures ease
-
Market Segmentation
- Overview
- NHS versus private dentistry
- The impact of cost of living issues has been weaker on private general dental services
- Majority of general dental services still provided through the NHS
- Graph 4: total dental care expenditure, by provider, 2020-24
- Private treatments
- Private GDS spending dipped sharply during the pandemic, but has since recovered
- Private sector spending shows stronger growth than NHS
- Dentists, who carry out a mix of private and health service work, are spending more time on private treatments
- Private dentistry offers patients more choice…
- …while also being more attractive to dentists
- Private practice profits are higher than NHS practices
- Graph 5: average profit of dental practices, by provider, 2022-23
- Cosmetic treatments
- Popular cosmetic treatments
- Popular cosmetic treatments (cont.)
- NHS dentistry
- Expenditure on NHS dental care
- Graph 6: expenditure on NHS dental care, by payment segment, 2020-24
- Patient charge share of NHS dentistry expenditure increases as government funding falls
- NHS dentistry has seen a decline in activity since pandemic
- Changes to NHS dental contract
- Further contract reforms on the way
- NHS dental charge hikes
- NHS dental charges
- Trends in NHS treatments
- Graph 7: number of courses of dental treatment under the NHS in England, 2020-24
- Treatments are heavily skewed towards band one treatments
- NHS dentists face squeezed incomes and soaring costs
-
Market Drivers
- Macro-economic factors
- Economic growth remains sluggish
- Graph 8: gross domestic product, quarter-on-quarter change, Q1 2021- Q2 2024
- GDP forecast
- Graph 9: GDP growth OBR versus independent forecast averages , 2024-28
- Consumer spending on dental services
- Graph 10: consumer spending on dental services, 2013-23
- Easing inflation has provided reason for optimism…
- Graph 11: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- …but consumers are still feeling the pinch
- Graph 12: issues faced in the last two months, 2024
- Interest rates continue to be a concern
- The recovery in financial wellbeing has slowed…
- Graph 13: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- …but consumer confidence is on the mend
- Graph 14: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Access to NHS dental care
- Over half of adults have not seen an NHS dentists in the last two years
- NHS dental visits data
- Three-quarters of patients are successful in getting an NHS dental appointment when trying to get one
- The issue of dental deserts
- NHS dentistry workforce
- Post-pandemic drop in NHS dentists
- Graph 15: number of dentists with NHS activity in England, 2017-23
- Half of dentists in England have cut back NHS work since the start of the pandemic
- The UK has fewer dentists per head than other developed economies
- Graph 16: NHS dentists per 100,000 population in England, 2013-23
- Recruitment
- UK recruitment and training
- Dental student intake is rising
- Graph 17: dental student intakes in England, 2013/14-2023/24
- Nearly a third of UK dentists trained overseas
- Challenges with the overseas registration exam fuel recruitment crisis
- Proposal for provisional registration system for international dentists
- NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
- An ageing population
- Rising share of over 65+ year olds
- Graph 18: population estimate and projection, by age group, 2023-44
- UK’s ageing population requires more dental care
- Innovation and technological advancements
- Digital tools
- AI in dentistry
- AI key applications
- AI key applications (cont.)
- AI-enabled robotic dentistry
- AI can deliver enhanced patient engagement and streamlined operations
- 3D printing
- Laser dentistry
- Biomimetics
- Teledentistry
-
Competitive Landscape
- Industry development
- The background to NHS dental practices
- NHS dentist registration introduced in 1990
- The 2006 NHS dental contract
- Reforms to NHS dental contract
- Government recovery plan for NHS dentistry
- Calls for more fundamental reforms
- Labour’s Dentistry Rescue Plan
- Industry structure
- Number of dental practices
- Changes in employment structure
- Independents continue to dominate the sector
- The rise of the corporate dentist
- Corporates are reshaping their portfolios
- mydentist remains largest dental provider in the UK
- Company profiles
- Bupa Dental Care (Oasis Dental Care)
- Strategy
- Financial performance
- NHS versus private income
- Graph 19: segmentation of Oasis Healthcare Group revenues, 2022-23
- Colosseum Dental UK (Triventura Midco I)
- Strategy
- Financial performance
- NHS versus private revenue
- Graph 20: segmentation of Triventura Midco revenues, 2022-23
- PortmanDentex
- Dentex Healthcare Group financial performance
- Portman Dental Care financial performance
- mydentist
- mydentist’s organic growth strategy
- Financial performance
- NHS versus private revenue
- Graph 21: segmentation of mydentist revenue, 2022-23
- Rodericks Dental Partners
- Strategy
- Financial performance
-
Appendix
- Supplementary data
- NHS charge bands
- Number of dentists and DCPs on the GDC register
- Graph 22: total number of dentists and DCPs on the register, 2019-23
- Dental practice ownership
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and Terms
- B2B report methodology
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