The Welsh Government is set to overhaul NHS dental care, introducing a new General Dental Services contract and a centralised system to improve patient access.
Following a Senedd Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into dentistry, the government launched an all-Wales Dental Access Portal (DAP) in February 2025. Initially, the portal restricted registration to patients who had not received NHS dental treatment in the past four years, but this rule was removed in June. The portal now allows people across Wales to register their interest in NHS dental care.
The existing NHS dental contract, in place since 2006, uses the Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) system. This model has faced criticism for failing to incentivise treatment for high-need patients and for not improving access.
Since 2017, Wales has trialled various pilots to reform the contract. A new contract, developed through tripartite negotiations from 2023 to 2024, focuses on prevention and treatment based on patient risk and need, ending the automatic six-month recall system.
Proposals for the contract, consulted on between March and June 2025, included a single entry route to NHS dental services, a revised remuneration system, adjustments to patient charges, and a high-needs pathway.
Following consultation, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed that patients with good oral health would remain with their current dentists to maintain continuity of care.
NHS payments to dentists will increase, while the launch of an online payment system is postponed until April 2027. The contract is set to take effect in April 2026.
Addressing workforce challenges, Health Education and Improvement Wales published a five-year Dental Strategic Workforce Plan in 2024. Programs such as the Welsh Enhanced Recruitment Offer (WERO) aim to attract trainees to rural practices with financial and wellbeing support.
The number of dental therapy places at Cardiff University has doubled, and Bangor University has introduced a new dental hygiene program, with plans for a dental therapy program underway. Proposals for a new dental school in north Wales are under review, though no funding is currently available.
Recent statistics show that 48.2% of children and 40.1% of adults in Wales received NHS dental treatment in the past 12 and 24 months, respectively.
Between April and August 2025, more than 54,000 new patients received routine treatments, with 30,000 urgent treatments provided. While these figures suggest capacity for new patients, concerns remain about balancing appointments between new and existing patients.
The British Dental Association Cymru continues to raise concerns over the reforms, emphasizing the need to ensure patient care is not compromised during the transition.
