The words to use
- Unit of dental activity (UDA)
- The payment unit of England's NHS dental contract since 2006. A course earns 1, 3 to 7, or 12 UDAs depending on its band.
- Treatment band
- One of three groups of NHS treatment. The band sets the UDAs a practice earns and the charge a paying patient pays.
- Urgent treatment requirement
- Since April 2026, the number of urgent courses each NHS contract must deliver in a year, paid as a fixed fee per course.
- Complex care pathway
- From June 2026, a fixed-fee package of care for patients aged 16 and over with extensive decay or serious gum disease.
- Capitation
- Paying a practice a set amount per patient, whatever treatment they need. It rewards prevention but risks under-treatment.
