DT News - UK - BDA research identifies dental job concerns

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 22 January 2014

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LONDON – More than one in ten young dentists completing their vocational or foundation training may be experiencing difficulties finding permanent posts, newly published research from the British Dental Association (BDA) has suggested. Approximately 12 per cent of those who were completing their training last summer had not secured a role before its conclusion, the 2013 BDA Survey of Foundation Dentists and Vocational Dental Practitioners found.

For the second successive year, a growing proportion of trainees in England and Wales who participated in the research reported that they had obtained posts in primary salaried or hospital dentistry, although whether this is a trend will only be more reliably established by future surveys.

The research adds to concerns of potential employment problems in dentistry identified by the BDA’s 2013 Dental Business Trends Survey. It found that according to the International Labour Organisation criteria used by the Office for National Statistics more than 10 per cent of current associate dentists can be classed as under-employed, wishing to work more hours and being available to start doing so within two weeks.

This follows warnings by Health Education England and the Centre for Workforce Intelligence at the end of 2013 that a potential oversupply of between 1,000 and 4,000 dentists may occur in England by 2040 if the current number of places for dental students is not reduced.

Dr Judith Husband, chair of the BDA’s Education, Ethics and the Dental Team Committee, said:
“This research suggests that employment opportunities in general dental practice are not as readily available as they once were for newly qualified practitioners. In doing so, it adds to the evidence base that must be considered as recommendations to reduce the number of places to study dentistry are contemplated.”

“As the BDA has warned, these decisions must be thought about very carefully, taking into account likely changes to the way NHS dental care is delivered and safeguarding the needs of patients. But they must also be responsible to the young people who choose to invest time, money and dedication to pursuing careers in dentistry, and the taxpayers who contribute to the cost of their training. These are difficult decisions that must be made, implemented and monitored with great care, and in dialogue with the profession and the academic institutions they will affect.”

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