BDA urges dentists not to miss out on pension entitlements

The British Dental Association (BDA) has reminded dentists of the need to claim the pension benefits to which they are entitled.

New research by the BDA has indicated that around six per cent of its members may have no pension provision, despite being entitled to access a well-regarded NHS scheme.

Of those associate members who qualified since 2006, 14 per cent of dentists had opted out of the NHS pension scheme at some point over the nine year-period, though six per cent re-joined at a later date.

It was also shown that 33 per cent were unaware or confused about the scheme's benefits, whereas nearly 22 per cent experienced disadvantages through the scheme.

The association said: "The BDA plans to raise the profile of pensions at the British Dental Conference and Exhibition, and encourages dental foundation training schemes to include pensions in their training events."

It is also working to publicise the NHS pension scheme on its website, while urging UK pensions agencies to provide sufficient information to all young dentists to make them aware of the scheme from an early stage.