Dentists accused of making millions through fraud

Posted by Joanne Mellor

A new report has claimed dentists may have been fraudulently charging for treatments they have not carried out on patients.

Watchdog NHS Protect accused some in the industry of manipulating the system so they could charge patients more than they should have done.

It claimed about three per cent of the 37.5 million claims made each year were inappropriate, which represents as much as £73 million of income for professionals in the sector.

Health minister Lord Howe stated taxpayers will be “appalled” by the findings of the report.

“It is a great shame that a minority of dentists have been able to game a complex and confusing contract,” he said, blaming the previous Labour government for its introduction.

Dermid McCausland, managing director of NHS Protect, added action will be taken against those dentists found to have been cheating the system for personal gain.

The British Dental Association’s executive board chair Dr Susie Sanderson recently claimed reforms of the NHS in the UK could lead to a minefield of problems for dentists.