Universal Credit changes mean over two million people have already stopped seeing a dentist because they lost access to free care or confusing new process meant they assumed they had to start paying NHS charges
Up to half a million people on low incomes could stop accessing free dentistry from Sunday. Analysis by the British Dental Association suggests that the latest changes come after over two million people stopped seeing an NHS dentist in recent years because they assumed they were no longer exempt from paying dental charges.
Dentists warn Rachel Reeves benefits clampdown will “cast more patients adrift” and come days after dental charges increased again and are now two thirds higher than they were in 2010. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement confirmed plans to scrap half a million recipients of Tax Credit Certificates – who are exempt from NHS dental charges and GP prescription fees – and require them to apply to receive Universal Credit instead.
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The transition to Universal Credit from other benefits started under the previous Tory government. The BDA analysis shows 7.8 million claims were made for free dental care by adults in England in 2015/16, falling to 5.4 million in 2023/24. The BDA examined all the benefit groups transitioning to Universal Credit and has found no corresponding growth in paying adult NHS patients.
This means 2.3 million fewer appointments were claimed by this group which includes people on low incomes who generally have worse oral health. Many became ineligible while others were simply unclear whether they still qualified for free NHS care.
Over 500,000 free appointments were claimed by Tax Credit Certificate recipients last year, down from nearly 2.5 million in 2015/16 as a result of the UC transition. These remaining half a million will lose access to automatic eligibility for NHS exemption certificates from April 6.
BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: “The architects of welfare reform in the last government threw millions of our patients under a bus. A new government must change tack. The people who lost their entitlement to free dentistry haven’t suddenly started paying for NHS care. They’ve just stopped attending.
“Further changes are set to cast more patients adrift or expose them to the risk of fines because no one is spelling out what these changes mean.”
While the BDA has only assessed English data, this change will hit recipients across all four UK nations. It is calling for £100 fines for ‘misclaiming’ free NHS dentistry to be paused during a transition period to give patients time to work out if they are still eligible.
The BDA says there is widespread public confusion around the changes. Previously everyone on tax credits automatically got free healthcare whereas from next week only some Universal Credit recipients will qualify.
The Mirror has launched the Dentists for All campaign calling for a return to universal access after data suggests 19 out of 20 practices are not taking on new adult NHS patients.
The NHS dental budget has been held at £3 billion for a decade which the BDA calculates is only enough to care for around half the population of England and has meant a £1 billion real terms cut due to inflation. Patients are being asked to pay an ever greater share of the overall NHS dentistry budget via charges.
Patient charges will be almost two thirds higher than they were back in 2010 with a check up rising from £16.50 to £27.40. A Band 3 treatment like dentures or a crown will increased to £326.70 on Tuesday – £128.70 more than they did in 2010. While Wales introduced record-breaking increases in charge levels last year, the cost of identical treatments is still £66.70 less there for a Band 3, at just £260.
The Mirror and BDA have launched an online petition on the 38 Degrees campaigning platform demanding that the NHS dental charge rise is reversed.
Matthew McGregor, Chief Executive at 38 Degrees, said: “These new revelations further strengthen what so many of us already know: that the Government urgently needs a stronger plan to fix NHS dentistry, and to find the money needed to make it a reality, so that everyone who needs dental care can access it.
“That’s why hundreds of thousands of us have spent the last year telling the Government: you may not have inherited this dental mess, but it is yours to fix. And we won’t stop our fight until you do. And for those people who receive Universal Credit, and are missing out, the Government must act fast and do much more to simplify and better promote access to NHS dentistry.”
The BDA says a transition period must be introduced so tax credit recipients are not slapped with £100 fines. The professional body is calling for the transition period to be used to roll out Real Time Exemption Checking to NHS dentists – a system that already exists in pharmacies and allows chemists to quickly check its database and tell customers if they are exempt from NHS charges so they don’t have to go through the process of applying.