Overview
- The broadened definition takes effect on February 21, allowing any dental need to be booked into urgent slots.
- Integrated Care Boards commissioned nearly one million urgent appointments since April, but only about 100,000 were used under the previous narrow criteria.
- From April, high-street practices must reserve a minimum number of urgent or unscheduled NHS appointments, potentially including new patients.
- Ministers say the move responds to cases of DIY dentistry and patients unable to access care for infections or decayed teeth.
- Official data show 1.8 million additional treatments were delivered between April and October 2025, while the BDA warns activity remains below pre-pandemic levels and calls for investment and contract reform.