Dental charges for each item of care?

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Dear Sir or Madam,

My dentist charges £16+ for my regular check, but now wants me to attend their "Hygienist" at a further cost of £30.
Is this additional cost in the permitted scale of NHS dental charges?

Yours faithfully,

F Martin

Department of Health and Social Care

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Department of Health and Social Care

DE00000454557
[1][FOI #22001 email]

Dear Sir Madam,
Thank you for your email of 27 October to the Department of Health about
NHS dental charges. I have been asked to reply.
There should be no need for a patient to see a private hygienist. Under
the new arrangements for NHS dentistry introduced in April 2006, as
before, dentists should provide an NHS patient with all treatment that is
necessary to secure and maintain the patient's oral health.
There are no charges for individual items of treatment. Instead, patients
make one single payment for their course of NHS treatment. The charge
covers all the treatment that is needed as well as the examination,
diagnosis, treatment planning, scale and polish (if appropriate) and any
oral health advice given.

This reflects NHS dentistry's shift away from invasive treatment to
prevention of dental disease through patient education.

Dentists are required to use a proper degree of skill and attention in
carrying out care and treatment, and should not seek to mislead a patient
about the quality of treatment available under general dental services
with a view to obtaining the agreement of the patient to undergo any
private care and treatment. Primary Care Trusts have the power to
investigate such an allegation and, if it is proved, can take remedial
action. Contact details for PCTs can be found on the NHS website.

Yours sincerely,
Stephen Atkinson
Customer Service Centre

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