The future of the UK dental market: five takeaways from the HealthInvestor UK Summit

Image: members of our Healthcare Consultancy team

The event provided valuable insight into how the sector is evolving and where the greatest opportunities lie. During the summit, Christie & Co presented its Dental Market Review 2026, highlighting improving investor appetite, growing lender confidence and continued consolidation opportunities across the market. Discussions throughout the day also explored the factors likely to drive the next phase of growth, from operational excellence and workforce development to the increasing role of technology and AI.

Here are my five key takeaways from the day.

Growth is shifting from consolidation to value creation

One of the strongest themes throughout the summit was the shift from growth through acquisition to growth through value creation. While acquisitions remain important, operators are becoming more selective and increasingly focused on operational performance, integration, leadership and sustainable organic growth.

The traditional "buy, build and sell" model is giving way to a greater emphasis on building stronger businesses. Value is increasingly being driven by management capability, talent, clinical quality and efficient systems, with operators willing to walk away from deals that do not align with their long-term strategy.

Technology is becoming an efficient business tool

Technology and AI featured prominently throughout the summit, with speakers highlighting the efficiencies and growth opportunities they can unlock, from improving patient access and streamlining administration to enhancing clinical workflows.

However, speakers also shared lessons from their own experiences investing in technology. While most groups mentioned investing heavily in AI solutions and clinical technology upgrades, there were warnings about moving too fast and investing without a true appreciation of ROI or investing in technology for technology’s sake. One panellist shared their experience of trying to build their own AI system and described scrapping the idea at great cost, learning that it was better for them to focus on where their strengths lay. They noted that dental groups are ultimately healthcare businesses, not technology companies, a message that seemed to resonate with the audience. 

AI presents opportunities, but governance remains crucial

While enthusiasm around AI continues to grow, speakers highlighted the importance of balancing innovation with appropriate safeguards. Data protection, patient safety, accountability and regulatory compliance were all identified as key considerations as AI adoption accelerates across the sector.

The discussion also challenged the idea that AI is about replacing people. Instead, operators see the greatest opportunity in using technology to support existing teams, improve productivity and increase patient access. In a capacity-constrained sector, the focus is increasingly on how AI can help practices do more with the resources they already have while maintaining high standards of care.

People remain the foundation of growth

While technology and operational efficiency were key talking points, speakers repeatedly stressed that people remain the most important factor of success. Recruitment, retention and culture emerged as critical priorities, with many arguing that a group's ability to attract and develop talented clinicians and build cohesive teams ultimately determines how successfully it can grow.

Resilience comes from more than scale.

Speakers highlighted integrated teams, diversified revenue streams, strong clinician-patient relationships and local autonomy as important characteristics of resilient dental groups.

Market outlook

The summit highlighted a sector that continues to attract strong investor interest, supported by growing lender confidence and ongoing consolidation opportunities.

However, the focus is increasingly shifting from acquiring more locations to building better businesses. Strong leadership, talented teams, operational excellence and the effective use of technology are becoming the key drivers of future success.

To discuss the healthcare market in more detail, get in touch with Hannah Haines: hannah.haines@christie.com or +44 7736 617 008