TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for dentistry in England, focusing on the impact of recent NHS contract changes and priorities for further reform.
Areas for discussion include improving access to urgent and routine care, the financial sustainability of NHS provision, workforce recruitment and retention, the relationship between NHS and private dentistry, prevention and inequalities in oral health, and the role of local commissioning in developing services that respond to population needs.
Bringing together stakeholders with policymakers following the introduction of the Government's 2026 dental contract quality and payment reforms, and in the context of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, the conference will consider early experience of the changes, what they are achieving in practice, and options for further contract reform - as well as implications for access, clinical practice and the sustainability of NHS provision.
Delegates will assess the new arrangements for urgent and unscheduled care, complex treatment pathways and quality improvement, and what they mean for clinical decisions, practice capacity and the care available to patients. Attendees will also examine what initial changes reveal about priorities for more fundamental reform of NHS dental contracts and payment arrangements.
We expect a central focus will be the conditions needed to improve access while maintaining viable services and an attractive working environment for dental professionals. Delegates will discuss the adequacy and distribution of funding, the financial pressures affecting practices, and how contractual arrangements influence the balance of NHS and private work. The conference will also consider workforce recruitment, retention and training, including the proposed NHS service requirement for newly qualified dentists, and the scope for making greater use of the skills of the wider dental team.
With the Competition and Markets Authority continuing its study of private dental services, sessions will examine affordability, consumer choice and transparency, alongside the implications of market conditions for providers and access to care.
Further discussion will consider latest thinking on approaches to improving oral health and reducing inequalities, particularly for children, underserved communities and people with more complex needs. Delegates will examine practical approaches to placing greater emphasis on prevention within dental practice and community services. Delegates will also look at the development of supervised tooth-brushing and other population-level interventions, and how local commissioning and neighbourhood health arrangements might better support more accessible and continuous care.
Sessions will also assess what can realistically be delivered within existing capacity and resources, and where further changes in funding, workforce arrangements and service organisation may be needed.
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. Recent developments such as the Department of Health and Social Care consulting on plans to expand prescribing rights to hygienists and therapists, and GDC data highlighting rising fitness-to-practise caseloads, will also be considered with regard to clarity on roles and professional support.
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 provision for care leavers aged 25 years-old - 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.
