Under the consultation dentists could be required to deliver NHS care for several years to repay some to their training costs of up to £300,000, of which around £200,000 are not repayable by them.

Health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins said: ‘I want to make access to dentistry faster, simpler and fairer for everyone - and part of this is ensuring that dentists are supporting the NHS with their skills and expertise.

‘Taxpayers make a significant investment in training dentists, so it is only right to expect dental graduates to work in the NHS once they've completed their training.

‘This builds on our dental recovery plan, which set out how we will create up to 2.5m extra appointments this year alone and is already showing results with an extra 500 practices providing appointments.'

The plans are part of the Government's overall plan to accelerate the recovery of NHS dentistry from the Covid pandemic and reform how NHS dentistry operates.

They build on the aims of NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to expand the dental workforce and improve access to NHS dental care, especially in under-served parts of the country. 

Almost one-third of the 35,0000 dentists registered with the General Dental Council in England are not working in the NHS.