Six in 10 (61%) surveyed NHS dental patients would consider paying for private dental care.
This is according to dental payment plan provider Denplan’s Oral Health Survey 2024 which surveyed more than 5,000 consumers across Britain.
The top reason for going private was accessing faster treatment which was cited by 39% of respondents.
Almost two-fifths (38%) of those who would consider going private would do so if they were unable to get an appointment with an NHS dentist, and just over a third (34%) would do so if they could get treatment that was unavailable on the NHS.
A fifth (20%) of Brits currently use private dental care, up 2% from 2023’s survey. Three in 10 current private dental patients started seeing a private dentist in the past two years.
The survey found that nearly a third (29%) of those who do not visit a dentist regularly (less than every two years) said it was because they cannot find or access a local NHS dentist – up 12% when compared to 2021.
The data showed that people who had a monthly dental payment plan (8%) – which helps spread the cost of payments – were less likely to worry about the cost of dental appointments (23%) (compared to 31% on average).
Of those with a payment plan, the top three reasons for having it were cited as peace of mind (43%), to help with budgeting (42%), and to help spread the costs of treatment (40%).
Patients with health cover were also found to be more likely to go to the dentist regularly, with 90% of people with a health plan – which allows you to claim back the cost of dental treatment – going to the dentist or hygienist at least once every two years. This compared with 70% who had no health cover.
Dr Catherine Rutland, clinical director at Denplan, said: “People are considering switching to private dental care to get faster appointments and additional treatments.
“The cost of dentistry can feel like a reason not to attend which is why it’s important that financial support is available.
“We are seeing an increase in dentists and patients asking for dental payment plans, which help patients to budget and encourages them to go for more regular checkups, and take a preventative approach to their dental care.
“Employers are also helping their staff claim back the cost of dental care by including dental cover in their health plans.”