Find out more about the General Dental Practice Allowance (GDPA)

The General Dental Practice Allowance (GDPA) helps you provide high quality dental premises and pay for things like health and safety and staffing costs.

Check your eligibility for the GDPA

All dental practices will receive a basic GDPA as long as:

• all of your dentists are included on a dental list
• your practice has been satisfactorily inspected within the last three years
• the payment is made to one designated dentist (who should inform Practitioner Services)

Fully NHS committed practices

Practices that are ‘NHS committed’ are entitled to receive an extra 6% enhancement if you meet the above criteria and the following NHS commitment criteria.

Payments will be made quarterly. And you must let us know if there are any other circumstances that affect your entitlement for the enhancement.

General dental practices

To receive the additional 6% enhancement, you must have:

• an average of 500 registered patients, of which at least 100 are fee-paying adults
• average gross earnings of at least £50,000

Orthodontic specialist practices

To receive the additional 6% enhancement, you must have:

• an average of 500 referrals
• an average of 100 items 1(c) claims
• average gross earnings of £75,000

Other specialised practices

To receive the additional 6% enhancement, you must have:

• an average of 500 referrals
• an average of 500 items 1(a), 1(b) or 1(c) claims
• average gross earnings of £75,000

Secondary NHS committed practices

If your practice is ‘secondary NHS committed’, you can receive an additional 3% enhancement of your previous quarter's gross earnings.

To qualify for the extra 3% allowance, you must meet the standard GDPA criteria above and the following NHS secondary commitment criteria:

• your practice must have an average of 500 registered patients
• the practitioner must notify us of any other circumstance affecting qualification

If you’re an orthodontic specialist practice or other specialised practice, you can download the GP233 claim form or request one from your local NHS board to apply.

Part-time allowance criteria

If you’re part time or going part time, you may be eligible for a part-time allowance. This allowance is paid quarterly and is based on 6% of your previous quarter's gross earnings.

To qualify for a part-time allowance, you must meet the standard GDPA criteria above. You can apply for a part-time allowance by downloading the GP229 claim form or requesting one from your local NHS board.

Please note that we must receive the GP229 form by the following dates for payment to be included in the correct quarter:

• 28 February
• 31 May
• 31 August
• 30 November

Get more guidance

Every quarter, your practice can access commitment reports, along with your relevant monthly schedule.

Contact us at nss.psddental@nhs.scot to request the guidance for the general and orthodontic practitioner profiles.