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Dental fraud uncovered by new survey

According to NHS Protect dental surgeries & oral health providers could be exaggerating patient figures & dental treatment information to receive more money than they should.


WEBWIRE

Some dental surgeries and other oral health providers could be exaggerating patient figures and dentures treatment information in order to get paid more than they should, according to the results of a recent survey by NHS Protect.

A review of 5,000 bills carried out by NHS Protect, the anti-fraud arm of the health service, showed that three per cent of claims for work were fraudulent, totalling around £73 million in payments. As many as a million claims each year could be false, the team said, asserting that action would be taken against “those who attempt to take valuable NHS resources for personal gain”.

In the majority of the fraudulent claims, which could include dentures and false teeth work, dentists had charged for more expensive dental work than had actually been carried out. A quarter of the false claims were made for work which was never done, and ten per cent of fraudulent claims involved patients who did not exist – dubbed ghost patients by the report.

Health minister Lord Howe put the blame for the scandal firmly at the door of the previous government, saying: “Taxpayers will rightly be appalled at the £70 million price tag they are paying for Labour’s botched stewardship of NHS dentistry. This is money that should be spent on patients.”

Following the release of the report the Department of Health announced that the NHS is taking action against all of the dentists found to be making fraudulent claims by the investigation.

The British Association of Clinical Dental Technology (BACDT) provides a useful directory of dental health professionals and by choosing from our list, patients can be sure of being treated by technicians who are registered and regulated by the General Dental Council.

Commenting on the NHS Protect report, chief executive of the BACDT Richard Daniels said: “It is disappointing that a very small minority of dentists are trying to line their own pockets by filing fraudulent information but patients should not be put off looking into dentures or false teeth if they require them. Using our comprehensive directory can help ensure a professional and reputable technician is chosen.”

www.dentureprofessionals.org lists Clinical Dental Technicians who are members of the BACDT and are registered with the General Dental Council. The site is also an information source useful to patients interested in dentures or false teeth and contains cleaning and care advice.



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 dental fraud


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