Dental Practitioners' Association

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The Dental Practitioners' Association, previously known as the General Dental Practitioners' Association is a trade union for dentists in general practice in the United Kingdom. It is based in Harley Street in London. The principal executive committee is called the Council and meets three times a year.

The DPA was formed in 1954 in response to a perceived failure of the British Dental Association to lobby aggressively on behalf of general dental practitioners who had joined the National Health Service at its inception in 1948 only to see the first NHS patient charges imposed on dentures and successive cuts in dental fees.

Unlike the British Dental Association, membership of the DPA is restricted to dentists in high-street practice. Because the DPA is a trade union it must hold elections for the Chairman and Secretary and members of its principle executive committee.

The Dental Practitioners Association argues that the dilution of BDA membership by academic, armed forces and hospital dentists and a perceived lack of democratic accountability means the views of the DPA are more representative of high-street dentists.

The Dental Practitioners Association currently provides the only UK dental podcast. Benefits for member dentists include contracts and the industry standard Private Fees and Wages Guide. The DPA maintains contacts with government and others that enable it to provide a briefing service to help subscribers reduce their business risk in the UK dental market. The DPA also actively considers alternative dental treatment provision systems with the objective of promoting oral health in the UK. Members receive a bimonthly magazine.