A consensus exercise to inform the future of National Health Service General Dental Services using a modified-Delphi technique

Chestnutt, Ivor G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9228-800X, Pattinson, Rachael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3145-3710, Brocklehurst, Paul and Cope, Anwen Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3721-9455 2026. A consensus exercise to inform the future of National Health Service General Dental Services using a modified-Delphi technique. British Dental Journal 240 (7) , pp. 482-488. 10.1038/s41415-025-9100-x

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Abstract

Background Problems relating to the commissioning and delivery of National Health Service (NHS) General Dental Services (GDS) have been well-documented. Objectives This study aimed to gain consensus on issues deemed of importance to the future delivery of dental care in NHS GDS. Methodology Consensus was gained using a modified-Delphi technique. This method asks respondents the degree to which they agree or disagree with the statements on a nine-point Likert scale. Consensus is achieved when more than 70% of respondents either agreed or conversely disagreed with the statement. Results General dental practitioners (n = 70) agreed on 24 of 33 statements. There was consensus on statements relating to a more preventively orientated service and it was possible to identify agreement on what might constitute a core dental service such as the concept of a ‘shortened dental arch' and the exclusion of molar endodontics from NHS GDS. However, the idea that NHS dental care should be provided only to children and a defined subset of the population, with for example, those earning over a predefined threshold, ineligible for NHS dental care failed to achieve consensus. There were no significant differences between dentists' views relating either to age or NHS contractor status (performer/provider) when it came to agreement/disagreement on the issues scrutinised. Conclusions This work provides pointers as to the current views of dentists in Wales and could inform future development of NHS GDS.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Dentistry
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, Type: open-access
Publisher:	Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com]
ISSN:	0007-0610
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 April 2026
Date of Acceptance:	15 July 2025
Last Modified:	15 Apr 2026 09:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186396

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