Following the announcement that at least 30 dental practices have been selected to trial new ways of improving services for patients, the BDA has reaffirmed its support for the piloting of the reforms in Professor Steele’s review of dentistry,

The pilots, which are expected to take place over a two-year period, will include the trial of a blended contract that is intended to reward dentists for the number of patients they see, the level of each treatment each patient receives and the quality of the care that is provided.

Dr John Milne, chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee, said the association had called for reform to deliver an NHS dental system that worked better for patients and dentists alike. The two keys to the success of the pilots were meaningful engagement with the profession and proper evaluation of their results. Engagement so far had been good and the pilots now had to be given the time they needed to properly assess the proposed changes and allow reflection on the results they produced.