Dentists earned £96,135 on average in 2006/07 says the Dental Earnings and Expenses report, out today from The NHS Information Centre.
The report is the first overview of dental earnings under the new dental contractual arrangements in England and Wales.
It considers the tax returns of full and part-time dentists who undertook some NHS work in England and Wales in 2006/7, and covers both their NHS and private work.
The report shows that in 2006/07:
• Average earnings (before tax) for all dentists was £96,135, with average gross earnings (including expenses) of £206,255 and average expenses of £110,120
• Practising dentists who held a contract with a Primary Care Trust (PCT)/Local Health Board (LHB) to provide NHS services earned on average £134,827 (before tax) with average gross earnings of £353,869 and average expenses of £219,042
The report also showed that some of the practising dentists who held a contract with the PCT/LHB earned more than others:
• Dentists who held General Dental Services (GDS) contract(s) earned on average £117,083
• Dentists who held Personal Dental Services (PDS) contract(s) earned on average £172,494
• Dentists who held mixed GDS/PDS contracts earned on average £199,545.
Other findings included dentists working for a practice, but who are not contract holders, earned an average £69,442.
Their average gross earnings were £104,417 and average expenses were £34,975.
The report also looks at earnings and expenses related to the working patterns of the dentist, their age and gender, their level of orthodontic activity and the Strategic Health Authority in which they work.
The findings will help the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body when they make their next set of recommendations on dental remuneration.
Changes in the way figures have been produced mean it is difficult to compare the figures to those in previous years’ reports.
The NHS Information Centre’s chief executive Tim Straughan said: ‘The report looks at earnings in the first year of the new contractual system and reveals the pay of NHS dentists varies greatly depending on their contractual arrangements.’
The report is at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalearnexp0607.
