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Category: For dental practices

  • What the CMA’s private dentistry study means for your practice

    By Hedley Basford, 30th September 2026. This article reflects the position of the study at that date.

    On 5th March 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study into private dentistry in the UK, a sector it describes as worth £8 billion. The study followed a request from the Chancellor, and it will shape how patients find, compare, and choose private dentists for years to come. Here is what the CMA is looking at, what it has heard so far, and what it means for a private practice.

    Why the CMA is looking at private dentistry

    Private care now accounts for the majority of the UK dental market. The CMA cites figures showing that private services made up 69% of the market in 2025, and that one in five people in Great Britain used private dental care in 2024. It adds that research suggests the shift is partly driven by difficulty accessing NHS treatment.

    The CMA has been clear that the study is not a criticism of clinicians or the care they provide. It is an examination of how the market is working for patients, including whether they have the information they need to make good choices.

    What the study covers

    The CMA has confirmed five themes: consumer journey and choice, competition, conduct, regulatory frameworks, and market outcomes. The first of these is the most relevant to how practices are found: how patients access, assess, and act on information when choosing a dentist, and how easily they can switch between practices.

    Under competition, the CMA is looking at how practices compete to win and keep patients. Some market participants and representative bodies told it that the factors influencing competition include the availability of appointments, opening hours, the range of treatments offered, ease of online booking, and the quality of premises.

    What the CMA has heard so far

    Nearly 1,000 dental professionals and more than 1,800 consumers responded to the CMA’s call for views. The CMA notes that these responses may not be representative, and it is running separate, statistically robust research alongside them. Even so, several themes stand out for practice owners:

    • Some patients reported difficulty comparing treatment options and their cost, and information in practices and on practice websites was thought to be important.
    • Independent practices make up around 65% of UK dental practices, and some respondents pointed to the difficulty independents face in competing with larger groups, including because of lower marketing budgets.
    • One dental professional told the CMA that private dentistry is competitive, “especially now as more and more practices are leaving the NHS”.

    What happens next

    The CMA expects to publish its emerging thinking between October and November 2026 and will invite views on it. Its final report is due by 4th March 2027. The CMA has said that possible outcomes include recommendations to improve transparency and help patients make good choices.

    What it means for your practice: our view

    Patients are being encouraged to compare. The first of the CMA’s tips for private dental patients is to compare what is available: to search online and ask friends and family where they go, and to consider whether a practice offers NHS and private treatment, what it costs, and whether its facilities and opening hours suit them.

    In our view, AI-powered search engines are becoming one of the places that comparison happens. When a patient asks one to recommend a private dentist, it names a small number of practices, drawing on the information it can find about each. Three practical steps follow:

    • Make your practice easy to compare. Keep your services, your prices, and your opening hours clear and current on your website. The General Dental Council’s standards already require a simple price list in your reception or waiting area, and clear information on prices on your website.
    • Keep your information consistent everywhere. Your practice name, address, and services should match across your website, your Google Business Profile, and your CQC registration.
    • Watch the CMA’s emerging thinking this autumn. Any recommendations on transparency are likely to affect what patients expect to find before they choose a practice.

    Entity Confidence shows private dental practices which practices AI recommends in their town, where their own practice sits, and what will strengthen its position, month by month. We work with one practice per town. Check whether your town is available.

    Sources

    Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.