Is social enterprise good for dentistry?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need to build back dental services in a more equitable way that targets oral health inequalities and addresses persistently poor oral health in socially excluded groups. The aim of this article is to introduce the concept of social enterprise in dentistry, to discuss the role of social enterprise in the wider NHS and its place in the NHS Long Term Plan, and to highlight some of the benefits for patients, communities and the system that social enterprises can offer.