Working as a Locum Dentist in the UK is a Journey From Flexible Jobs to Career Growth if Planned Right.
Locum jobs in healthcare are the real proof-of-concept for ‘healing knows no boundaries'; and are now also applicable to dentistry. The concept of ‘locum’ has been prevalent in the medical field for years. With time, it also gained popularity among dental professionals and dental practices.
Working as a locum dentist saves professionals from long work hours, the monotony of everyday-repeat-work and the routine of being tied to a single practice. For dental clinics, locum dentists provide essential ad hoc coverage, filling in roles and supporting teams in the most consultative and cost-effective ways possible.
Choosing locum dentistry as a career choice must be well-planned, and we’ll find out how.
Who Are the Locum Dentists?
The full term for ‘locum’ is ‘locum tenens,' which in Latin means to ‘hold the place of’.
Thus, locum dentists are professionals who contractually fill in for other dentists in a dental clinic when needed. They are hired by a practic to keep their team complete and the pateint appointments smooth and steady.
However, in common parlance, a shift-based job for a dental professional to accommodate maximum work hours for a dental practice could also be referred to as locum practice.
Why is There a Rise in Locum Dental Jobs in the UK?
Yes. That’s true.
A 2024 GDC survey (The General Dental Council ) showed that 57%, that’s over half of the dental industry is either self-employed or locum dentists. The dental locum market has surely been on the rise over the past decade. No doubt, working as a locum dentist offers its share of benefits, especially attractive ones for the younger generation of dentists, but, there is more to the story of locum dental jobs than we know.
Key Reasons:
The overall shortage of dentists in the UK:
The UK continues to face a gap between patient demand and available dental professionals. Especially with the exit of the UK from the EU, international dental professionals have not been readily applying for UK dental posts.
The NHS struggles:
Ongoing funding pressures and contractual challenges within the NHS have made it harder to retain full-time dentists.
The lack of availability of permanent dental professionals for remote locations:
Rural and less populated areas often struggle to attract long-term dental staff. Locum dentists always need to fill these gaps.
This is, in fact, one of our biggest challenges when helping dental clinics recruit dentists.
The changing landscape for career preferences for dentists:
Working as a locum dentist gives you the freedom to work for limited hours per week and on suitable shifts. This aligns well with the present work-life balance motivation of the workforce.
The pandemic - COVID 19:
COVID-19 disrupted dental services and changed how dentists view job security and working conditions. Many dentists and dental teams now prefer adaptable roles
How Does Locum Dentistry Work in the UK?
In practice, locum dental jobs in the UK do not work in one single model.
Some dentists choose ad hoc days at multiple dental practices, while others accept multi-week or multi-month placements.
If the role involves providing NHS primary care, the dentist must be on the Dental Performers List; PCSE states that any dentist wanting to provide NHS dental care in the UK needs to apply to join the list, including dentists coming from abroad.
There is also an employment-structure angle to the scope of locum dentistry in the UK:
- Some locum dentist roles are effectively self-employed contractor arrangements.
- Others may be closer to being an employee depending on control, substitution rights, and the practical working relationship.
HMRC says employment status affects rights and tax treatment, so dentists should not assume every locum booking is automatically self-employed just because the word ‘locum’ is used.
Your Role Working as a Locum Dentist in the UK
The duties of a locum dentist are similar to those of a permanent dentist. Unlike before, the current locum market has both highly experienced general dentists and dental specialists and relatively newer dentists.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Dental exams and radiographs
- Routine diagnoses and treatment planning
- All general dentistry procedures - tooth fillings, dental scalings, dental extractions, restorative work, crowns and bridges, dentures, sealant and fluoride therapy, etc.
- Preventive dental treatment plans
It is worth noting that the ‘temporary’ feature of a locum dentist may often prevent them from performing advanced dental procedures that are lengthy, like All-on-X dental implants, orthodontics, or other surgical-cum-restorative treatments.
Why Choose Locum Dentistry?
Flexibility, that is genuinely useful:
Working as a locum dentist gives you the chance to choose ‘where, when, and how’.
That is especially attractive for dentists relocating to the UK, returning after a break, balancing family commitments, or testing regions before settling permanently. Recruitment platforms, dental hiring agencies, and dental job boards consistently market locum roles around flexibility and immediate availability.
Faster exposure to the UK dental market
A permanent role tells you about one practice. Locum work teaches you how several practices run: diary management, UDA expectations, private conversion culture, support staff quality, software systems, and patient demographics.
That makes locum dental roles a practical bridge for trained dentists learning the realities of UK dentistry. This is especially relevant in mixed and NHS settings governed by the dental contracting framework.
Stronger dental portfolio
You quickly learn which dental employers are organised, which areas are under-recruited, and where your skill set is best valued. For dental specialists, locum-style sessional work can also help build referral visibility, although only dentists on the relevant GDC specialist list may use a specialist title.
Good pay structure
Locum dentists can earn anywhere from £300 to £500 per day, depending on the practice location, the practice size, and their credentials and skill set.
Are there any downsides to locum dentistry in the UK?
Yes.
Working as a locum dentist has its consequential downsides too, like:
- Poor continuity of work and cases leads to a lack of ownership of patients.
- Adjustment and adaptability concerns in every new practice the dentist visits.
- And compliance burden sits heavily on the dentist as he is hired in a new practice.
How do Dental Practices Select Locum Dental Profiles?
The hiring of locum dentists moves quite rapidly. Especially for dental practices around the prime locations like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Bristol, Southampton, Oxford, etc., there are often many locum dental applications in the queue.
Protip: If you are looking to work as a locum dentist in and around these locations, be sure to keep your paperwork ready.
Required Documents:
- Valid proof of right to work in the UK (such as a passport)
- Recent DBS check, ideally issued within the past year
- GDC registration certificate
- Clinical references from previous employers or senior colleagues
- CPD (Continuing Professional Development) records
- Indemnity insurance confirmation
- Performer number documentation
- Prepared invoice format for payments
For Overseas Dentist Candidates
The first checkpoint is registration.
The General Dental Council regulates dental professionals in the UK, and full registration is generally the route needed for primary care locum work. The GDC is also clear that temporary registration is limited to supervised posts for training, teaching, or research in hospitals and universities, and it is not a pathway for routine primary care locum dentistry.
That point is critical for applicants from India, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and other overseas and non-EU countries, who assume ‘temporary registration’ can be used for general locum sessions in practice.
It usually cannot.
Start Your Journey as a Locum Dentist Today
Working as a locum dentist in the UK is a mixed bag of opportunities, flexibility, career growth and hectic hiring and work-incompatibility schedules. Hence, you must always aim towards informed decision-making.
If you are a dental professional looking to join the UK locum market, connect with us to help find the right roles for you.
Or,
If you are a dental practice looking to find the best match in a locum dentist, let’s connect to prepare the right hiring touchpoints for you.
FAQs
Are there any downsides to locum dentistry in the UK?
Yes. Working as a locum dentist has its consequential downsides too, like:
- Poor continuity of work and cases leads to a lack of ownership of patients.
- Adjustment and adaptability concerns in every new practice the dentist visits.
- The compliance burden sits heavily on the dentist as he is hired in a new practice.
How much do locum dentists earn in the UK?
You have the opportunity to earn anywhere from £300 to £500 per day, depending on the practice location, the practice size, and your experience.
Why should I choose locum dentistry as a career?
You should choose locum dentistry as a career only if you fully understand what locum dentists do, the hiring process, the earninngs and the available jobs. It is critical to understand the flexibility and market entry opportunities that come with locum.
