Northern Irish dentists lowest paid in the UK

NHS Digital figures show Northern Irish dentists are paid less than dentists around the rest of the UK, with their salaries subject to the largest decrease of around 4.3%. That revelation led to the British Dental Association suggesting that Northern Irish dental practitioners are at the end of their tether. With salaries now sitting around £66,400, and the morale of approximately 70% of dental practice owners in Northern being described as low or very low, it comes as no surprise that recent NHS Digital figures put the number of dentists considering leaving the profession at around 66%.
The British Dental Association NI’s Dental Practice Committee chair, Richard Graham, said: “This official data paints a particularly bleak picture of what GDPs in Northern Ireland have been warning about for some time. Nine years of successive Government-imposed pay caps, soaring expenses, increased regulation, the risk of litigation and rising indemnity fees, at the same time as direct cuts on the GDS budget, has created this downward spiral. The full financial impact, and the very real human impact is clearly evidenced by the Government’s own figures. High street dentists have suffered a real-term 38% decline in income levels over the past decade, to the point where the majority question their future in the profession. It’s as serious as it gets. Our message to the Department of Health is they need to act now to ensure the future sustainability of health service dentistry. Morale and earnings are at crisis point. Only meaningful investment in dental services, and the professionals who underpin these, will safeguard a future for health service dentistry.”