Welsh dentists earn less than English dentists
Welsh dentists earn an average of £9,000 per year less than their English counterparts, it has been revealed.
Figures released by the NHS Information Centre last night show that the average salary for a Welsh dentist is £122,400, nine thousands pounds less than dentists in England. The figures showed that salaries have increased since last year, as an increasing number of dentists take on private patients, as well as NHS patients.
The figures showed that there was a considerable difference in salaries depending on whether the dentist had an individual contract with the local health board or Primary Care Trust.
Stuart Geddes, head of the British Dental Association in Wales, said that dentists had to contend with higher running costs, thanks to the weakness of the pound against the dollar and the Euro and this had forced them to increase the cost of treatment.
The report released by the NHS Information Centre also revealed that there was a greater number of dentists working in Wales this year; however, figures also show that certain regions are underserved and consequently patients are going for years without seeing a dentist. In Merthyr Tydfil, for example, only 40 percent of children have seen a dentist in the last two years; unsurprisingly, standards of oral health are amongst the worst in the country and a high proportion of children are suffering from untreated decay.
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