Clarity from complexity: working patterns data

As the debate around how to improve access to NHS dentistry continues, particularly for those on the lowest incomes, the complexity of the dental landscape has become increasing clear to many. Complexity that has at times, clouded discussions and impeded consensus on how to best respond to growing unmet oral healthcare needs.    

Much of the debate has centred on the need to update NHS contracts and appropriate remuneration for those delivering NHS treatment, but we have also heard calls to increase the overall number of UK dental professionals. Simple. But by how many?

A surprisingly difficult question to answer, particularly without knowing how many professionals are actually practising and where. As the regulator, we understood that it was critical to learn more, including how much time dental professionals were spending in clinical roles and the balance between their NHS and private practice.

We were uniquely positioned to ask dental professionals to voluntarily provide data about their working patterns. We explained, with the invaluable support of professional membership bodies, how the dental workforce was not well-understood and how data, analysis and insights could help to inform plans and policies aimed at improving access to safe and effective dental care.

More than 91,000 dental professionals have shared details of their working patterns since they were first asked in 2024. They have together created a unique dataset which is now contributing to an improved understanding of the complexities of the dental workforce and how it is changing over time. The data and analysis findings are now being used to further the debate in a range of ways across the sector.

Employing working patterns data

The GDC has drawn on working patterns data to emphasise the importance of retaining dentists in the NHS, when responding to the call for evidence to inform the NHS 10-Year Workforce Plan for England.

We were able to show how dentist working patterns data indicated a decrease in the amount of NHS care provided by UK-trained dentists, as their time on register increased; from 85% in the first five years to 66% for those registered for 6-15 years [1]. We advised that both recruitment of overseas-qualified dentists and retention of UK-qualified dentists should be considered when devising NHS workforce plans.

Our evidence submission also highlighted how much clinical time dental therapists (50%) and dental hygienists (67%) reported spending in the private sector [2, 3]. We suggested that if the NHS was to successfully increase the availability of preventative care, or as stated, shift healthcare from “sickness to prevention”, then policy makers would need to focus on making the NHS a more attractive place to work for these professionals and ensure they could work to the full scope of their profession. 

Working patterns data is also helping the sector to understand geographical issues with access to dental services. We recently provided dentist postcode and working patterns data for all seven Integrated Care Board areas to inform NHS South West commissioners. And similarly, the Dental Schools Council has been supplied with data, by region, to compare areas with insufficient access to NHS dental care to areas underrepresented in dental school applications and consider any correlations.

Beyond commissioning, we have seen the data being used in the ongoing debates about how to respond to growing oral healthcare needs. The British Dental Association (BDA) recently cited working patterns data in support of more fundamental reform of Health Service (HS) dentistry in Northern Ireland.

Using data from 2024 to 2026, the BDA noted that dentists in Northern Ireland had reported lower levels of commitment to HS/NHS dentistry, compared to dentists in other parts of the UK, and that their commitment to HS/NHS dentistry had fallen more rapidly over the three years that working patterns had been reported [4].

Small acts are making a big difference

Working patterns data is now providing the sector with a common language and the ability to make comparisons in different parts of the UK. The dataset collected over several years is also providing for analysis of changes in working patterns over time. Warwick University has recently been commissioned to complete that analysis.

As we approach the opening of an annual renewal period, and again ask dental care professionals to share their working patterns data, it’s important for us to remember how these single acts are contributing to wider understanding of a complex picture. The work is bringing clarity to commissioners and helping policy and change makers to respond effectively to growing oral health needs and inequalities, and ultimately, help patients to receive the care they need.

With improved clarity, we can work together to agree how to make limited resources go further, and ensure safe and effective care for everyone. 

Find out more about working patterns data.

References:

[1] Dentist working patterns inferential analysis, GDC, December 2024

[2] Dental therapists working patterns inferential analysis, GDC, July 2025

[3] Dental hygienists working patterns inferential analysis, GDC, July 2025

[4] NI Executive must ‘go further and faster’ to secure a future for HS dentistry, British Dental Association, Press Release issued 14 April 2026