Two NHS dentists in London are earning over £200,000 a year, it has been revealed.
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that the pair from Hounslow, West London, make more than twice the national average salary for dentists of £89,000 and more than three time the average dentist’s salary in Hounslow (£66,000).
The findings come after a survey revealed that at least 5,200 dentists nationwide (roughly one in four) are making more than £100,000 a year, sparking an outcry from campaigners over NHS dentists' pay.
Dentists working under the NHS have seen their salaries grow since the introduction of the new dental contract in 2006.
Under the current contract, dentists are paid for the number of treatments they perform rather than the number of patients they see to.
But the number of complex dental treatments carried out has fallen over the last three years, while dental access figures remain poor, with only 58.3 per cent of the UK population managing to see an NHS dentist in the two years to March 2009.
There have even been claims that dentists have increased their earnings by inviting patients back for unnecessary check-ups.
John Lister, of London Health Emergency, said dentists’ salaries are becoming "ridiculous" and added that the dentistry in the UK has been a "disaster for successive governments".
"A lot of those dentists are being paid private sector salaries to retain them in the NHS," he continued. "This formula is clearly not working."
"There are huge inequalities in what dentists are being paid, when the service is still not delivering proper and accessible care."




