Dentist Jobs UK Information

Dentist Jobs with Zest Dental - If you are currently contemplating working as a dentist in the United Kingdom, then we can help you. Zest Dental's team of professional and experienced dental recruitment consultants can offer you all the help and support you will need to embark on an exciting new part of your dentistry career. 

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Zest Dental have helped hundreds of dentists over the years embark on new careers in the UK and you will benefit from our specialised knowledge and expertise that can only come from an experienced and professional dental recruitment consultancy.

We have detailed below information that we feel you may find useful if you are considering finding a new dentistry job in the UK. This includes information regarding English Language Tests, Primary Care Trust (PCT) Registration and information on UDA. For further guidance and advice or to discuss your requirements and our current dental vacancies throughout the UK, please contact us for an efficient response from one of our dedicated dental recruitment team. 

Zest Dental's services to candidates are free and completely confidential.

Practicing Dentistry in the UK

Dentists practicing dentistry in the UK usually either work in a National Health Service (NHS) dental practice, where treatment is subsidised or free for patients, a private dental practice, where patients pay the full cost of treatment, or a mixed dental practice (NHS and Private).
Dentists in the UK predominantly provide a mixture of both NHS and private dental treatment as NHS patients also have access to additional private treatments.

Dentists providing private treatment are usually paid 40-50% of their gross earnings based on the treatment they have provided. This is also referred to as ‘fee per item'.

There is no longer a uniformed NHS dental system across the UK, as England and Wales have differing systems to Scotland. In Scotland you will look after a specific list of patients and from this you will be paid a monthly sum dependent on patient numbers and a percentage of the treatment you provide, normally 40-50% of the gross earnings. Remuneration for any private treatments provided are normally also paid at 40-50% of the gross.

In England and Wales dentists providing NHS dental treatment are paid per UDA. This will usually result in an equal monthly salary being paid to the dentist. Dentists will also be paid an additional 40-50% of the gross earnings for any private treatment provided. An explanation of the UDA system is detailed below.

UDA (Units of Dental Activity)

nGDS (new General Dental Services) Contract as of 1st April 2006

The nGDS contract commenced from 1st April 2006. All NHS dental treatment in England and Wales is assessed using the Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). Each contract will quote a certain amount of units that are required to be achieved by the dentist in that year. This will usually be based on the previous records of the practice or predictions if a new post.

Units of Dental Activity are detailed below:

Band 1 (non urgent) - 1 UDA
Band 1 (urgent) - 1.2 UDA
Band 2 - 3 UDA
Band 3 - 12 UDA

Issue of Prescription - 0.75 UDA
Repair of Dental Appliance (denture) - 1 UDA
Repair of Dental Appliance (crown) - 1.2 UDA
Removal of Sutures - 1
Arrest of Bleeding - 1.2

Band 1 Covers preventative dental work, such as scaling and polishing and the provision of oral health advice.

Band 2 Covers simple treatment, for example fillings and extractions

Band 3 Covers complex treatment, such as bridgework, crowns or dentures.

Check ups can only be counted once a year per patient.

An example of the contract in action is detailed below (please note this is only an example and does not dictate your potential specific contract)

The Dentist has been offered a gross contract value of £110000 for 6000 UDAs, this equates to approximately 28 UDA per day. This can be achieved by administering check ups (band 1) on 28 patients or less with some band 2 patients included. In terms of remuneration the the Dentist would possibly earn 50% of the gross contract value (£55000) through his NHS commitment plus any earnings for private treatments.

Please view our current UK dental vacancies for current UDA rates.

Professional Registration

To practice dentistry in the United Kingdom you must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). It is illegal to provide dental treatment to any individual in the UK without first being registered with the GDC. Generally all dentists that have qualified in an EEA country will be granted permission following registration. However there are some restrictions on certain EEA countries. For further information specific to your country of qualification please visit www.gdc-uk.org. For dentists that have qualified outside of the EEA please visit the GDC website for further advice on the options open to you.

PCTs / LHBs and Performer Numbers

Once you have secured a position within a practice providing National Health Service treatment you will then need to register with the Local Health Board (LHB) or Primary Care Trust (PCT). The PCT/LHB are regional divisions of the NHS and they are ultimately responsible for the dentists that they allow to treat patients in their specific geographical area. As a consequence of this the PCT need to ensure that new dentists whether qualified in the UK or not can provide original documentation concerning qualifications and GDC registration, have a checkable work history, can provide references and have their records checked for documented criminal activity (CRB check). This process usually takes approximately six weeks and will be initiated by the PCT/LHB and your new employer. In addition the PCT will typically require you to produce certifiable evidence of Hepatitis B inoculations or a blood test proving the presence of Hepatitis B anti bodies.

Following successful registration the PCT/LHB will then provide you with a Performer Number which will allow you to provide NHS treatment in that PCT area.  This number once granted is usually transferable to other PCTs or LHBs.  Please note if you can not provide a reference from an NHS dental practice where you have provided dental treatment, your application for PCT registration will be referred to the local Dental Deanery. In most cases the Deanery will request that the dentist be mentored by a senior dentist within the practice for three to six months, to ensure they are properly supported in providing NHS dentistry.

There are certain documents that you will need to have for the PCT/LHB registration, please contact Zest Dental Recruitment for further advice on which documents are required.

EU, IQE and ORE Dentists

At present PCTs and LHBs are requesting that the majority of dentists without NHS experience or UK vocational training will need to be mentored within their new dental practice.  In our experience, this will be for a period of between three to 12 months dependent on the specific case.  This is to ensure that dentists new to NHS dentistry in the UK are supported by an experienced NHS clinician.   This ensures the confidence of the dentist in their new practice environment and that patient care is optimised. 

Mentor requirements will effect the majority of EU dentists and candidates that have successfully completed the IQE or ORE.

English Language Testing Qualifications

In order to treat NHS dental patients in England and Wales dentists whose first language is not English must hold a valid certificate in English. Below is a table of the most popular certificates approved by the UK Department of Health (DoH) and required scores. Click on the Awarding Body for direct links to their websites. Here you will find course dates and fees. Alternatively contact Zest Dental directly for advice and one of our professional dental recruiters will be happy to help you. We suggest that candidates undertake either UBELT or IELTS as these are accepted more favourably by Primary Care Trusts. Please note this is an independent opinion based on our experience of registering dentists with PCTs.

Please note for IELTS, candidates must score 6 or more in each section of the test.

Source Department of Health (DH), information correct as of July 2009.

We have become aware that Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Local Health Boards (LHBs), the bodies responsible for the registration of dentists and the awarding of performer numbers, are interpreting the language test advice in different ways. For example, the LHBs in Wales require a score of 7 overall in either Academic or General IELTS and no less than 6.5 in any of the four sections (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening).  We have also been made aware that some PCTs and LHBs do not accept some of the above certificates at all, although they are approved by the DH.  With this in mind we recommend that candidates undertake IELTS or UBELT as these are universally accepted by all.  If unsure of the options open to you please call 0114 238 0012 and ask to speak with one our expert dental consultants who will be happy to assist you.

Register with Zest Dental

At Zest Dental we are proven dental recruiters with vast knowledge and experience in assisting dentists from around the world start a new life and a new career in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

For a free, confidential and informal discussion regarding your career and how we can help you please register with Zest Dental.