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One aspect of the plan – 'Golden Hello' payments to encourage dentists to start working in underserved areas – has seen only 39 dentists appointed out of a target of 240.

A "Golden Hello" payment scheme has so far only seen an additional 39 dentists contracted to work in underserved areas, against a target of 240.

It is not unusual for schools to offer cash lump sums as a "golden hello" to recruit maths teachers, and they sometimes get poached by other schools for higher salaries.

They said the measures set out in the dental reform plan last month had already increased payments as well as introducing premium rates to take on new patients and a £20,000 golden hello for dentists to work in the areas with the worst access.

While the golden hello is aimed at getting more dentists to work for three years in the so-called dental deserts where there is the poorest access to NHS care, the top-up payments will be crucial to improving access across the board.