Dentistry cost survey now live!
As reported in our newsletter on Friday 16 May the Department of Health and Social Care dentistry cost survey is now live. A message from the DHSC explaining the survey is below:
We would like to invite you to take part in a survey that seeks to improve the Government’s insights on dental costs and pressures involved in running a dental practice and support the Government’s ambitions on dental reform.
Respond to the Department of Health and Social Care’s survey on the costs in running your practice here:
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021159-2025
Please submit your response by mid-day 16 June 2025.
To inform and support effective policy measures, the Department of Health and Social Care is conducting a research project on the costs of running dental practices in England. The aim is to provide an objective and accurate understanding to Government on the costs and pressures facing the sector and improve understanding around the sustainability of the current system.
The need for reforms within NHS dentistry is well known and widely felt. The Government’s aim is to deliver real improvements for both patients and dentists. Your response can help support this important work.
As part of the research project, a survey is now live, inviting practices to share data on the costs involved in operating their businesses.
Alongside the survey, the Department of Health and Social Care are also conducting interviews to build some additional qualitative analysis, further support findings and inform future Government policy. If you would be willing to be interviewed in addition to completing the survey, please contact dentistrycostsurvey@dhsc.gov.uk to register your interest and find out more.
Important information to note:
- The survey is now live and will be open until mid-day 16 June 2025.
- All responses will be received anonymously (unless you choose to identify yourself).
- This work is separate from the NHSE dental workforce survey you may have already responded to.
- This project does not include community dentistry.
- We encourage all dental practices to contribute to ensure the Department gains a well-informed, comprehensive and nuanced understanding of how to support the dentistry sector in England. Whether you’re a large operator or a small business, primarily NHS-focused or private, and wherever you are in England, your experience can help shape the future of dentistry.
Information management
This research is being conducted by the Sector Insights & Commercial Strategy Team within the Department of Health and Social Care, independently of policy teams. All responses will remain confidential to a small team of commercial and analytical colleagues in DHSC. Responses will be analysed in aggregate, and will not be shared at the individual, practice or company level; only anonymous, aggregated findings will be shared more broadly. The Department of Health and Social Care plans to publish the analysis from the research publicly on GOV.UK
following the conclusion of this project.
Instructions
To complete the survey, please:
- Download the Excel spreadsheet from Find a Tender Service here:
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021159-2025 - Read the instructions in the document carefully and complete the spreadsheet. We understand it may take a few hours to complete, but may require less if you have access to the information required from your dental practice management system and practice accounts.
- Once finished, please upload the spreadsheet to the Dropbox here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/uH6l5NTL1BEUiezrwv2J
- All responses should represent information at the practice level. If you are part of a corporate group, you can choose to complete the survey locally as a practice or send it on to HQ to be completed centrally. A separate response will need to be submitted for each practice responding; please ensure that duplicate submissions are not made for the same practice.
Informational webinars
The Department of Health and Social Care are holding several webinars to explain the project and survey and answer any questions. If you wish to attend, please register using this link: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021159-2025
