DT News - UK - Report highlights challenges and trends in UK dental industry

Report highlights challenges and trends in UK dental industry

A report from Christie & Co. has shown that the number of new registrations in 2017 in the UK by dentists who qualified in the European Economic Area dropped by 19 per cent compared to 2016. (Photograph: VH-Studio/Shutterstock)

Dental Tribune UK

Tue. 23 October 2018

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LONDON, UK: A report published by the specialist business property adviser Christie & Co. has claimed that the UK dental industry is suffering from a dentist shortage and key staffing challenges. The report suggests that, with Brexit looming, significant changes to the makeup of the national dental workforce could soon occur.

According to the report, there are approximately 116,200 registered dental professionals currently in the UK. Of these, 49 per cent are dental nurses, with a further 36 per cent being dentists. Whilst 72.2 per cent of dentists who are currently registered to work in the UK also qualified in the UK, 16.3 per cent qualified in the European Economic Area (EEA). However, in 2017, the number of new registrations by dentists who qualified in the EEA dropped by 19 per cent compared to 2016 and 39 per cent compared to 2015. With Brexit set to begin on March 29, 2019, this reduction in EEA-qualified dentists looks set to continue.

The report also found that the supply of dental professionals was under the greatest pressure in Wales and under the least pressure in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The West Midlands and London, somewhat surprisingly, were found to provide the lowest pay rates for dental associates, while Wales, the South West and the East of England provided the highest rates on average. This discrepancy, according to Christie & Co., can be at least partially attributed to the difficulty in recruiting dental professionals to areas like Wales and the South West.

“While the report highlights key challenges facing the dental sector and especially operators, including UDA [Units of Dental Activity] performance, staff recruitment and retention, demand for quality practices is exceeding supply in most areas and market segments across the UK,” said Simon Hughes, Managing Director of Medical at Christie & Co.

Hughes continued, “With an increasing number and variety of buyers seeking opportunities in the sector, there is no doubt that the dental market landscape is changing and diversifying. Cash flow generation, strong underlying profit potential and a fragmented marketplace have also made the dental sector attractive to banks and a wide range of UK and overseas investors. We can certainly look forward to strong interest across the dental industry for the foreseeable future.”

The report, titled “The Dental Industry 2018: Staffing, Brexit and the Dentist Shortage”, is available to access here.