‘Humiliation’ of Birmingham-based foreign dentist who cannot work in UK

Cost is another barrier to the exam process.

The General Dental Council has partnered with UCL Consultants Ltd – part of University College London – to provide more places.

But the price has increased from £4,915 in total to £7,567.

Meanwhile, the total cost of the LDS exam is increasing from £4,230 to £4,784 from September.

The General Dental Council said demand for ORE places had increased by 400% since 2022. But it said capacity was increasing significantly.

On the increased cost, a spokeswoman said: “VAT now applies to the ORE fee and is reflected across the revised 2026 fee structure.

“The VAT position has changed because the ORE is now delivered under a new contractual model with a different entity.”

Latest figures from NHS England show about one in five (19%) of general dentist roles in the NHS were vacant as of December 2024. That equates to 2,516 full-time positions.

Meanwhile, in the West Midlands, the vacancy rate was 22% – the equivalent of 555 full-time positions.

According to the British Dental Association, almost 14 million people – or more than one in four of England’s adult population – remain unable to access NHS dental care.

In March, the government announced a £420,000 grant to expand the number of LDS exam places.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “No one in the 21st century should be left in a situation where they cannot access a dentist, and we are committed to delivering a domestic pipeline of dentists.

“To help address the dentistry crisis this government inherited, we are supporting a major expansion of registration routes for overseas-qualified dentists – many of whom already live in this country – which will enable thousands more to join the workforce and open up appointments for NHS patients.”