Dentists 'to display price lists'

The cost of private dentistry can vary widely

Private dentists have been ordered to display the cost of their treatments by the government.

The Department of Trade and Industry said the move would ensure patients can make informed choices before deciding where to have treatment.

It follows a report by the Office of Fair Trading in March, which suggested some patients may be paying too much for dental care because dentists do not give them the full facts.

Ministers have published an action plan for private dentistry in an effort to provide a better deal for patients.

Price list

Under the plan, dentists will be required to clearly display a price list for key services.

Dentists will also be expected to give patients written treatment plans and to issue itemised accounts for treatment carried out.

The market for private dentistry is not working as well as it should be.

Patricia Hewitt,
Trade and Industry Secretary

In addition, they will have to prominently display what services are available on the NHS and what services the practice provides privately.

The plan also includes proposals to relax the rules on who can open up a dental practice.

This would enable dental hygienists, for example, to offer services such as teeth whitening without having a fully qualified dentist to lead the team.

The theory is that teams offering a limited number of highly profitable treatments would offer more competitive prices.

The OFT inquiry found the cost of private treatment can vary widely, with some practices charging four times as much as others.

Its report showed that the average dental examination costs £20.07. However, some private dentists charged just £9.50 while others charged £40.

Similarly, the cost of an amalgam filling ranged from £10 to £54.25.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "The market for private dentistry is not working as well as it should be.

"Consumers often lack basic information on prices, the quality of services and what treatments are available on the NHS to help them make informed choices.

"The measures outlined today will ensure that dentists offering private treatments are more responsive in meeting patients' needs."

Health Minister Rosie Winterton said the changes would "achieve a clearer delineation between NHS and private treatment".

Complaints system

The OFT report also called for dentists to better complaints procedures for patients.

Ministers said new complaints system would be up and running by 2005.

It's not simply a matter of being able to pick a price structure off the shelf as it were

Ian Wylie,
British Dental Association

They also promised stronger powers for the General Dental Council to take action against dentists found guilty of misconduct.

Ian Wylie, chief executive of the British Dental Association, told the BBC earlier that it would be difficult for dentists to draw up a price list for patients.

"What we are actually talking about here is clinical care. Clinical care is a complex matter.

"What we need to be able to do is for dentists to sit down and actually go through the range of treatment options with the patient so that patients are able to make informed choices about the sort of care available to them.

"It's not simply a matter of being able to pick a price structure off the shelf as it were."

The OFT report was sparked by a complaint by the Consumer's Association.

Its principal policy advisor Frances Blunden said: "The package of measures being announced today goes a significant way to tackling the problems in private dentistry, but much depends on how the proposals will work in practice.

"The job now is for the government to make the necessary changes in the law to implement the reforms announced today.

"It must closely monitor the situation to ensure that the package results in real benefits for consumers using private dentistry."

Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, head of the Dental Defence Union, backed the changes.

"We have been advising our members for many years that patients should be told what treatment is planned; what the options are; how much it will cost and what will be provided under the NHS and/or private contract.

"Ideally, all this information, including describing possible complications, should be set out for patients in a written treatment plan."

Hew Mathewson, president of the General Dental Council, said it was vital patients had access to an effective complaints system.

"We want to work with government and other colleagues to make that happen.

"Giving patients information about the kinds of dental care available, and the cost of different treatments, is essential if patients are to make the best choices."