Why can I register with a dentist any more?
Dentists no longer need to register patients but this does not prevent them from keeping lists of regular patients for providing ongoing treatment and care. Registration was introduced in 1990 as a way of measuring how much dentists should be paid for providing NHS dental services. This system is no longer relevant. Under the old system, dentists received a payment for the number of patients registered with the practice. They were also responsible for providing out-of-hours care for patients registered with the practice.
