Dentists pull out THOUSANDS of teeth unnecessarily every year because NHS rules pay them the same for a simple extraction as for complex surgery, probe finds
- Dentists receive the same flat fee from NHS for extractions and root canals
- Some are earning up to £500,000-a-year by seeing 60 patients every day
- Fears contract introduced in 2006 is leading dentists to game the system
Dentists
are needlessly extracting thousands of patients' teeth because it is
quicker and easier than more complex procedures such as performing a
root canal.
Concerns
have been raised that dentists are recommending extraction because they
receive the same flat fee from the NHS for different types of
treatment.
An
investigation also found some dentists are earning up to £500,000
because they cram in up to 60 patients every day, when the upper limit
should be 30, The Times reported.
Dentists are needlessly extracting
thousands of patients' teeth because it is quicker and easier than more
complex procedures such as performing a root canal
Since reforms introduced in 2006 dentist are now paid for how many 'units of dental activity' (UDA) they perform in a year.
A
check up counts for one unit, while tooth extractions, fillings and
root canals count for three, irrespective of the time taken for each
procedure - a root canal takes, on average, double the time of an
extraction. source: dailymail
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