UK - Dentists’ Earnings Published

The NHS Information Centre has published the earnings of dentists in England and Wales. The 2007/08 Dental Earnings and Expenses Report, England and Wales, details the earnings and expenses of self-employed primary care dentists. The report looked at Providing-Performer dentists, who had a contract with a local health body and performed other dental services, and Performer Only dentists, who performed dental services but did not have a contract.

The report revealed that a total of 382 dentists out of 20,000 had a gross income of over £300,000 between 2007 and 2008, and 1,172 had gross earnings of more than £200,000 over the course of the year. It also highlighted a pay difference between dentists in England and Wales, with the average pay in England being £88,870 and the average in Wales being £93,924.

The key findings of the report are:

• The average taxable income for Providing-Performer dentists was £126,807, compared to £65,697 for Performer Only dentists. The overall average was £89,062;
• The average expenses for Providing-Performer dentists were £218,843, compared to just £33,512 for Performer Only dentists; and
• The average gross earnings for Providing Performer dentists were £345,651, compared to £99,208 for Performer Only dentists.

Further reading - A detailed review of the UK pharmaceutical market, including some background information on dentistry, is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: United Kingdom (published June 2009)