TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for NHS dentistry in England.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss priorities following the introduction of the Government’s dental contract quality and payment reforms in 2026, and in the context of the wider direction set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England. Discussion will consider the new payment arrangements and care pathways for patients with complex needs, alongside implementation of the requirement for practices to provide a defined level of urgent and unscheduled care. Attendees will assess the implications for practices and commissioners, and priorities for improving access for new patients and those with higher needs.
Workforce recruitment, retention and development
Looking at workforce strategy, delegates will examine the planned requirement for newly qualified dentists to practise in the NHS for a minimum period, its potential effects on recruitment and retention, and the factors influencing clinicians’ decisions about the balance of NHS and private work. Sessions will also consider pressures linked to burnout and early retirement, and evaluate strategies to strengthen career development, professional support, and deployment of the wider clinical team.
Widening access to treatment
Access disparities will be examined, with discussion on strategies to address regional variation and gaps in provision for patients with complex needs, as well as concerns around costs, practices and misinformation as the Competition and Markets Authority widens its market study into private dentistry. Attendees will discuss ways to improve the use of data to reach underserved groups, and options for reducing barriers linked to patient charges and travel, particularly in the context of the planned introduction of free NHS dental care for care leavers up to the age of 25 by the end of 2026.
Prevention and child oral health
Further discussion will focus on preventative interventions, including how best to deploy and promote fluoride varnish, fissure sealants, and approaches to oral-health stabilisation for patients with higher needs. Delegates will also assess progress in supervised tooth‑brushing programmes, looking at questions of funding, the embedding of routines into the school day, and the potential impact of the new contractual incentives and complex care pathways to effectively support a greater emphasis on prevention.
Capacity and commissioning
We also expect discussion on the effects of constrained funding, cross-subsidisation, and training capacity on long-term service resilience. Further sessions will consider dentistry’s potential role within neighbourhood health services, and examine how local commissioning can best influence workforce deployment, continuity of care, and the organisation of prevention-led delivery.
Overview of areas for discussion
- dental contract reform: implementation of changes to treatment categorisation, payment and service expectations - early experience of revised payment and activity arrangements - readiness of practices to deliver the new care pathways and urgent-care requirements
- service organisation: delivery of complex care and repairs within revised terms - application of contractual criteria and thresholds - impact of national requirements on everyday decision-making
- workforce pipeline: implementation of the planned NHS service requirement for newly qualified dentists - balance of incentives and obligations in retaining staff - risks to service continuity from departures and early retirement
- team capacity: staff access to peer review and training - role clarity across the clinical workforce - development of workplace structures that support long-term progression
- patient access and inequality: regional variation and dental deserts - improving identification of underserved groups through local data - implications of patient charges and travel for service uptake
- prevention and child oral health: delivery models for supervised toothbrushing programmes - wider use of fluoride varnish, fissure sealants and oral-health stabilisation - prevention and local public health priorities
- long-term viability: operational pressures linked to constrained funding - strategies used by providers to continue NHS delivery - future options for supporting placement and education capacity
- local commissioning: discretion available to systems in planning new pathways - scope to join up with other health services - alignment of workforce decisions with local oral health demand
- system expectations: role of dentistry within broader service reform - relationship with ambitions for delivery of care closer to home and neighbourhood health - extent to which oral health is built into strategic decision-making
