A new poll has found that just 3% of dentists believe the government’s dental rehabilitation scheme will allow them to see more NHS patients.

A survey of 1,104 dentists in England found that 43% believed the proposals would lead to a reduction in the number of patients they see, while 54% said the number of NHS patients they saw would remain the same.

government £200m plans unveiled Last month, plans were unveiled to strengthen NHS dental operations in England.

However, a new poll by the British Dental Association (BDA) found that three quarters (75%) of dentists believe the scheme will not improve NHS services for new patients.

More than nine in 10 (93%) said the proposals were not ambitious enough to deal with the scale of the challenge facing NHS dentistry.

Chris McCann, of Healthwatch England, said: “NHS dentistry has been in crisis for some time, with many people unable to visit an NHS dentist or afford private care.

“We haven’t seen any official data on how well the scheme is being implemented, but worryingly few dentists seem confident about it.”

MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee will question Health Secretary Dame Andrea Leadsom on the Government’s recovery plan on Tuesday.

The government says the scheme will “fund more than 1.5 million additional NHS dental treatments or 2.5 million NHS dental appointments”.

However, the BDA demanded that the model behind the statement be published.

What’s in the £200m plan?

• £20,000 bonus for dentists working in underserved communities

• Dentists get paid more for NHS work

• Smile for Life advice program for new parents and mobile dental teams being deployed in schools

• Launch of so-called “dental vans” in rural and coastal communities

• England’s largest water fluoridation expansion program since the 1990s

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Shawn Charlwood, chair of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, who will also give evidence to the committee on Tuesday, said: “Inspections are difficult but it is proving even more difficult for ministers to find a dentist who will support them .” Weird claim.

“Inane sound bites won’t stop queues outside clinics, nor dodgy statistics stop the arrival of ‘DIY’ dentistry.”

Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “After 14 years of Tory neglect, patients are effectively having their own teeth pulled out, and tooth decay is the number one reason children aged six to 10 go to hospital. “

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This fully funded scheme will receive £200m in 2024/25 to support practices that meet their obligations and deliver more NHS care to patients.”