A £200 million rescue package to expand access to NHS dentistry this year is off track, a spending watchdog says.

Dental recovery plan published by the Conservative government in February Set a target of 1.5 million additional treatments in 2024-25,

To achieve this, dentists were offered premium top-up payments of up to £50 for taking on new patients, along with increased payments for seeing NHS patients.

Mobile dental vans were also to be introduced to target the areas with the worst access.

But the National Audit Office says slow progress means this year’s targets will be missed.

It accepts that the general election is a factor, but says the new government must consider the long-standing problems in NHS dentistry.

The target of increasing the number of treatments this year by 1.5 million to 37.1 million will still leave the NHS below the activity level seen in 2018-19.

And when it was published dentists criticized its lack of ambition, saying it would not be enough to encourage dentists to do more NHS work.

It is believed that more than a fifth of dentists practice exclusively in private practice.

The plan included an increase from £5 to £28 for each unit of NHS activity, as well as a premium payment of up to £50 for seeing patients who had not seen an NHS dentist for two years .

The NAO said that by September 2024, the number of dentists taking on new NHS patients had increased, but this still did not lead to an increase in treatment beyond what would be expected without extra payment.

The NAO also noted that no new dental vans were yet in operation – these mobile units were seen as a vital part of the solution to increasing access to the most conflict areas.

The plan also includes some long-term measures, including “Golden Hallows” of £20,000 to recruit dentists to work in specific areas over three years, and Smile for Life – a dental caries prevention scheme targeted at young children.

Sean Charlwood of the British Dental Association said the NAO report shows that more fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract is needed.

“We warned from the beginning that this recovery plan was not worthy of the title.

“Unfunded, ambitious policies fail to make a dent in a crisis affecting millions of people.”

Louise Ansari, of patient watchdog Healthwatch England, said she agreed that NHS dentistry needed urgent reform.

“Overall, the NAO paints a picture of delayed and confused efforts.”

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said the government inherited a recovery plan that is “not fit for purpose” and he would develop further measures to improve access.

“This government is committed to rebuilding dentistry, but it will take time,” he said.