Mydentist

Not to be confused with My Dentist, based in Oklahoma City

mydentist claims to be the largest dental care provider in Europe, with more than 600 practices. The business is owned by IDH Group Limited, based in Kearsley. [1] Tom Riall is the Chief Executive. The business has grown quickly and been criticised for closing practices.[2]

It runs an annual conference, which in 2018 was attended by more than 600 dentists and dental professionals. In 2018 it treated more than four million people.[3]

In January 2019 Matt Hancock visited its surgery in Mildenhall and said: “Companies like MyDentist play a really important role in delivering a good service to keep our nation’s teeth strong.” He was criticised because the firm charges much more than NHS rates. Its dentures cost £878 compared to £256.50 on the NHS. Jon Ashworth said: “Surely the priority should be expanding access to NHS dentistry for everyone, not endorsing private firms for the better off.” Tom Riall said the firm was developing "an affordable range of private dentistry because so many practices are closed to NHS patients.”[4] Healthwatch Suffolk and the British Dental Association both pointed out that patients on low incomes rely on NHS dentistry but in the area of Bury St Edmunds the nearest surgery taking adult NHS patients was ten miles away and what was on offer from the company was not affordable for them.[5]

References
  1. "{my} dentist". mydentist. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  2. "Mydentist dental surgery in Bradford to close amid recruitment troubles". Telegraph and Argus. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  3. "'Mydentist is listening, Mydentist is changing'". Dentistry.co.uk. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. "Health Secretary backs private firm profiting from patients who can't get an NHS dentist". Mirror. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. "Health secretary Matt Hancock urged to prioritise NHS treatment after backing private Access mydentist scheme". Bury Free Press. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
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