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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asked the UK competition watchdog to investigate the cost of private dental treatment amid mounting concern about a sharp increase in prices.
Reeves has written to the Competition and Markets Authority requesting a market study into “private dentistry costs and practices”, saying that patients may be paying more than is necessary.
Prices for private dental treatment have climbed sharply in recent years, according to research by myTribe Insurance, a website providing information about private healthcare and insurance.
The research, published in December last year, found that patients were paying up to 32 per cent more for private dental procedures in 2024 compared with 2022.
An analysis of data over this period by myTribe from 450 private dental practices found the average cost of a white filling had increased 23 per cent to £129 last year, while the average cost of a tooth extraction had risen 32 per cent to £139.
Reeves said: “The scourge of hidden costs, lack of transparency and overtreatment has blighted families in need of dental treatment for too long.
“That’s why I want to see urgent action taken to help reduce prices, whilst the cost of living still puts pressure on families across the country.”
A spokesperson for the CMA said they “welcome the request from the chancellor to carry out a study into the private dental care market”.
“This is an important market that needs to work well for consumers,” they added. “We have been exploring the merits of work in this area and will be developing a specific proposal to put to our board.”
Reeves’ request to the CMA to investigate private dentistry costs and practices comes after ministers in January forced out the regulator’s then chair, Marcus Bokkerink, because of concerns that the watchdog was not sufficiently focused on growth.
But the government’s deregulatory agenda and attempts to nurture growth have had to be accommodated alongside its efforts to address Britons’ concerns about the cost of living.
The dental sector has said the government’s increase in employer national insurance contributions in last year’s Budget has pushed up costs for practices and played a role in the increase in prices for private treatment.
A shortage of dentists, combined with strong demand for their services, has enabled practices to push up their charges for private procedures, according to one trade body.
Neil Carmichael, executive chair of the Association of Dental Groups, said: “Without a significant increase in new dentists, consequential inflationary pressures are bound to be felt across the sector.
“Many ADG members have already found recent increases in national insurance and costs for essential supplies to be difficult to absorb.”
Dentists have also flagged major problems with the NHS dental contract, which has contributed to long waiting times for treatment on the health service.
Under the NHS contract, practices are paid set fees to deliver a certain number of “units of dental activity”, or treatments, each year.
Dentists have complained that the system has left them struggling to cover their costs, with simple procedures sometimes remunerated at the same rate as complex treatment, such as root canal surgery.
The sector has said the system has contributed to the increase in private dental prices, as some practices seek to cover the costs of doing NHS work.