NHS leaders have acknowledged a recovery plan for dentistry in England, launched by the previous Conservative government a year ago, has comprehensively failed.
One aspect of the plan – 'Golden Hello' payments to encourage dentists to start working in underserved areas – has seen only 39 dentists appointed out of a target of 240.
Another idea – the introduction of mobile dental vans – has completely failed to deliver any extra capacity.
At a Parliamentary committee NHS leaders acknowledged the fundamental problem was the contract that dentists are offered to carry out NHS work – and the best thing was to rip it up and start again.