The words to use
- Equity
- Distributing care according to need rather than equally, so people with the most disease or the least access get the most help.
- Band charges
- The fixed patient charges for an NHS dental course of treatment in England. As of October 2026: £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10, set by the highest band needed.
- Unit of dental activity (UDA)
- The unit NHS dental contracts in England use to set how much work a practice must deliver. In 2025/26, 76.8 million were delivered.
- Two-tier dentistry
- A system where people who can pay get care privately while others wait for, or go without, NHS care.
