Published 8 July 2026
Dentist Pay
Gross / yr
£54,502–£116,573
Take-home / yr
£38,349–£69,027
These are the latest published 2026/27 figures for the salaried dental scale, including the 3.75% uplift for salaried dentists from 1 April 2026, set out in the pay circular.
| Role | Band and point | Gross salary | Net take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 1 | £54,502 | £38,349 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 2 | £60,558 | £41,793 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 3 | £69,641 | £45,726 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 4 | £74,183 | £48,020 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 5 | £78,725 | £50,313 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band A Point 6 | £81,753 | £51,843 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 7 | £84,781 | £53,372 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 8 | £87,809 | £54,901 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 9 | £92,350 | £57,194 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 10 | £94,621 | £58,341 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 11 | £96,892 | £59,488 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band B Point 12 | £99,163 | £60,635 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 13 | £101,434 | £61,782 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 14 | £104,462 | £63,311 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 15 | £107,490 | £64,840 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 16 | £110,518 | £66,369 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 17 | £113,545 | £67,898 |
| Salaried dental practitioner | Band C Point 18 | £116,573 | £69,027 |
How Dentists Are Paid
Dentists are paid in three ways, and they work very differently. Only one is a national salary scale, so it is the one the pay card above models to take-home:
Salaried and community dentists Employed on a national band scale (Bands A to C in England and Wales, or the salaried and community bands in Northern Ireland) and paid through PAYE. This is the route on the pay card.
The other two are not fixed scales, so there is no single take-home to read off. Most NHS dentists are self-employed associates, paid per Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) under the practice contract, with earnings that move with the UDA value and the volume of work. Private dentists earn treatment fees set by the practice. Both vary too widely to model here.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) is the measure NHS dentistry uses to count and pay for treatment. Most NHS practices hold a General Dental Services (GDS) contract with an annual value and a UDA target; the value divided by the target sets the practice UDA rate. A self-employed associate is then paid a share of that value per UDA, so earnings vary by practice and workload rather than following a salary scale.
Often, yes. A self-employed associate doing NHS work can be eligible for the NHS Pension Scheme as a practitioner member, on different rules from a salaried post: contributions are based on net pensionable earnings, not a salary. Check your status with NHS Pensions.
Both are salaried and paid through PAYE, unlike self-employed associates. Dental foundation trainees spend a salaried year in a training practice on a national training figure set in the pay circular; dental core trainees work in hospital posts on the resident-doctor and dentist trainee scale.
Yes. Each nation publishes its own salaried dental scale in its own pay circular, so pay and timing differ. The self-employed associate and private routes vary by practice everywhere and are not fixed scales.
No. NHS Employers publishes the official salaried dental scale, but no NHS or government body runs a calculator. This page is the quick estimate straight from the published scale; open our calculator for a detailed answer.