Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles MS has laid the regulations for the new general dental services contract arrangements, which it is hoped will mean fairer access to NHS dentistry for people in Wales.

The new contract will be introduced from 1 April and puts the focus on people’s oral health needs and prevention.

This the first major reform of the dental contract for 20 years.

The new contract will replace the units of dental activity model, which incentivises the recall of healthy patients every six months, to a model which better supports the prevention of oral disease and treatment for those who need it most.

It is hoped the changes will will help strengthen NHS dentistry, improve access for the public, and better align services with population need, prevention, and quality of care.

The announcement follows extensive negotiations and development work between the government, representatives of the dental profession, and the NHS.

Under the new contract, practices will receive payments to continue seeing existing patients for recall appointments, giving dentists the freedom to monitor oral health based on individual risk and need and people who pay for NHS treatment will have their costs capped at a maximum of £384, regardless of how much care they need.

Already, about half of the population exempt from paying NHS dental charges, including children under 18, pregnant women, hospital dental patients, and people receiving certain benefits.

Miles said: "General dental services play a critical role in supporting population oral health and ensuring access to preventative and treatment services. Reform of the 2006 dental contract will help strengthen NHS dentistry, improve access for the public, and better align services with population need, prevention, and quality of care."