Morning, Monday, 16th November 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for dentistry in England.
Areas for discussion include new dental contract quality and payment reform, funding and practice sustainability, workforce recruitment, retention and the wider dental team, access, affordability and market scrutiny, prevention and children's oral health, and the role of dentistry within neighbourhood health services.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss priorities following the introduction in April 2026 of the Government’s dental contract quality and payment reform, and in the context of the wider direction set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England. Discussion will consider early experience of care pathways for patients with complex needs in place since June 2026, alongside new payment arrangements from September 2026, as well as implementation of the requirement for NHS practices with contracts of 100 or more units of dental activity to deliver 8.2% of contract value as urgent and unscheduled care.
With reform intended to make better use of existing resources by prioritising patients with the greatest need, attendees will assess how this works in practice, what it means for practitioners and commissioners, and priorities for improving access moving forward.
Following interim findings from the Competition and Markets Authority's Private dental services market study - with a consultation on emerging thinking on more fundamental contract reform due this autumn and a final report anticipated March 2027 - it will be an opportunity to assess practice finances, cross-subsidy from private work, workforce recruitment and retention, and what further steps may be needed to improve access, sustainability and outcomes.
Contract reform, funding & service sustainability
Delegates will consider the early experience of the revised payment and activity arrangements, and what they mean for how practices plan and deliver NHS care. This includes new financial arrangements for urgent courses of treatment, the complex-care and denture-modification pathways introduced in June 2026, and the quality improvement programme, together with the funding pressures and cross-subsidy from private activity that shape the long-term viability of NHS provision.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- contract reform: revised treatment categorisation, payment and activity rules - readiness for new pathways and urgent-care requirement - impact on everyday decisions
- pathways: urgent care delivery and complex needs pathways - repairs and denture modification within revised terms - application of contractual criteria and thresholds - new payments regime
- funding and viability: operational pressures linked to a fixed budget - cross-subsidy from private work and practice sustainability
Workforce recruitment, retention & development
With discussion on workforce strategy, attendees will consider the planned requirement for newly qualified dentists to practise in the NHS for a minimum period - intended to be at least three years for those entering training from 2027/28 - and its potential impact on recruitment and retention.
Looking at effects of constrained funding, cross-subsidisation, and training capacity on long-term service resilience, sessions will assess how best to strengthen career development, professional support and the deployment of the wider clinical team, as well as what influences clinicians' decisions around the balance of NHS and private work.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- workforce pipeline: planned NHS service requirement for newly qualified dentists - balance of incentives and obligations in recruiting and retaining staff
- training and capacity: expansion of dental school places from 2027/28 - placement and education capacity - reliance on internationally qualified recruitment
- the wider team: role clarity across the clinical workforce - access to peer review, appraisal and training - deployment of dental therapists, hygienists and nurses
- sustainable NHS roles: workplace culture and professional support - alignment of national requirements with local incentives - addressing pressures linked to burnout and early retirement
Access & affordability
Access disparities will be examined, with discussion on strategies to address regional variation and gaps in provision for patients with complex needs. Concerns around costs and current systems of practice will also be addressed, as the CMA continues its Private dental services market study.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- access and inequality: regional variation and dental deserts - improving identification of underserved groups through local data and intelligence - targeting resources in areas of high need
- affordability: implications of patient charges and travel for uptake - extended free dental for care leavers to 25 - balance between NHS and private provision
Prevention & child oral health
Further sessions consider next steps for sustaining and scaling preventative interventions, including for patients with higher needs. Delegates will assess progress with supervised tooth-brushing programmes, the expansion of community water fluoridation in the North-East, and the potential of new contractual incentives and complex-care pathways to support a greater emphasis on prevention.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- preventive interventions: fluoride varnish, fissure sealants and oral-health stabilisation - wider use of the dental team in delivering prevention - new contractual incentives
- children's oral health: supervised tooth-brushing in early years and school settings - questions around funding, sustainability and embedding routines into the school day
- population approaches: expansion of community water fluoridation - links with local public health priorities - tackling oral health inequalities among children and other priority groups
- practical models: embedding prevention more firmly into everyday practice - conditions needed to shift activity towards earlier intervention and long-term oral health improvement
Capacity & commissioning
The agenda also examines latest thinking on how local commissioning can influence workforce deployment, continuity of care and prevention-led delivery, and dentistry's potential role within neighbourhood health services. Delegates will assess the practical scope for local systems to shape pathways, the extent to which oral healthcare can be better integrated into wider system planning, and the relationship between national requirements and local flexibility.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- local commissioning: discretion available to systems in planning new pathways - aligning workforce decisions with local oral health demand - continuity of care and prevention-led delivery
- joined-up services: scope to connect dentistry with other health services - integration into neighbourhood health models - oral health within strategic and system planning
- long-term resilience: conditions needed for sustainable NHS provision - joining up funding, workforce and demand at system level - the shift towards neighbourhood-based, prevention-focused models
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and Competition and Markets Authority.
