Dentists in price crackdown

By VICTORIA FLETCHER, Evening Standard

Private dentists are to be told to stop ripping off their patients and make the prices they charge more transparent.

Government watchdogs are expected to demand that all dentists provide a detailed list of their prices to patients before they begin treatment.

A clear breakdown of the work needed and the final bill could also be required.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will make the recommendations in a report due to be published in a few weeks. After a year-long investigation into the private dental market, it believes more has to be done to stop consumers paying over the odds.

The changes could end the discrepancy in pricing across Britain.

The OFT investigation was triggered 18 months ago after a Consumers' Association survey found that one practice in Nottingham charged £102 for a simple check-up, scale and polish while another in Edinburgh charged £88.

Industry estimates suggest city dentists should charge about £43 for this sort of work.

It is hoped that by asking dentists to explain their charges more carefully, patients can decide whether they are getting value for money before treatment.

The Consumers' Association says the growing number of people turning to private care need better information. Frances Blunden, the watchdog's principal policy adviser, said: "We believe that when consumers go into a dentist's they need an indication of what things cost before treatment starts.

"This estimate is not necessarily to help them shop around but so they are aware of whether they are at an expensive dentist. You would expect to be given a quote from any service before you agreed to hand over money."

In the past few years, the number of dentists who only carry out NHS work has fallen dramatically because of their low wages. An NHS dentist earns an average £30,000 a year compared with £60,000 for those who undertake both NHS and private work.

The shift has meant millions of people can no longer find an NHS dentist and are forced to pay for treatment. But because they have never previously had to discuss fees, they are unaware that prices vary between practices and that costs can quickly escalate.

A spokeswoman for the British Dental Association, the main industry organisation, said they already urged their members to make charges clear.

"The BDA encourages its members to give people a written price estimate before treatment and an indicative price list to be on show, with price ranges for treatments" she said.

But at present there is no guide to how much dentists should charge for work. The BDA says prices will vary depending on where a practice is based, the staff costs and the experience each dentist has.

However, the General Dental Practitioners Association, which has 3,000 members, publishes a price guide each year and believes consumers could be given more information on what sort of price is fair.

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