Dental Treatment Plan Template: What a UK Plan Must Include

A dental treatment plan template for a UK practice needs, at the very least, the proposed treatment, a realistic indication of the cost, and whether each item is NHS or private. Those three items are required by the General Dental Council. A good template adds the patient's details, the findings behind the plan, the phases and visits, any alternative options, and space for the patient's signature and the date.

A clear written plan does more than tick a regulatory box. It is the moment a patient decides whether to go ahead, and the document you rely on if anyone later asks what was agreed. This guide sets out what the rules require, a section-by-section template you can adapt, and how to keep the plan accurate once treatment starts. The GDC and NHSBSA wording quoted was checked in September 2026.

What the GDC requires in a treatment plan

The GDC's Standards for the Dental Team set the baseline for every registrant. Three standards deal with treatment plans directly:

• Standard 2.3.6: you must give patients a written treatment plan, or plans, before their treatment starts, and you should keep a copy in their notes. You should also ask patients to sign it.
• Standard 2.3.7: every plan must include the proposed treatment, a realistic indication of the cost, and whether the treatment is NHS or private. If it is mixed, the plan should show clearly which parts are which.
• Standard 2.3.8: you should keep the plan and estimated costs under review during treatment. If the plan changes, you must tell the patient immediately and give them an updated version in writing.

Note the words "plan, or plans". The GDC expects that you may offer more than one option. Consent sits alongside this: under standard 3.1, you must have valid consent before starting any treatment, and you should document the discussions that led to it.

A section-by-section dental treatment plan template

Use these sections as a starting point. Keep the language plain, because the plan is written for the patient, not for another dentist.

1. Practice and patient details. Practice name and address, patient name, date of birth and the date of the plan.
2. Treating clinician. The dentist or clinician responsible for the plan.
3. Findings. A short summary of what the examination found, in words the patient understands. For example: "Decay in two back teeth on the upper right. Gum inflammation in the lower front teeth."
4. Options. Each realistic option, including the NHS option where one exists and, where relevant, doing nothing. Mark the option you recommend and say why.
5. Treatment items per option. Each item with the tooth and surface where relevant, the quantity and the fee. For example: "UR6 composite filling, occlusal, one, £X."
6. Funding for each item. NHS, private or plan. On a mixed plan this must be clear line by line.
7. Phases and visits. What happens in which order, and roughly how many appointments each phase will take.
8. Total cost. The total for each option, the NHS band charge where it applies, and any exemption the patient has.
9. Payment terms. When payment is due and how it can be made.
10. Risks, benefits and aftercare. A short note for each option, or a reference to the consent discussion in the notes.
11. Validity. How long the quoted fees stand, and a note that the plan will be updated in writing if it changes.
12. Signature. The patient's signature and date, showing which option they chose.

Dental treatment plan phases

For anything beyond a single visit, grouping the work into phases makes the plan easier to follow and easier to book. A common structure is:

• Phase 1, stabilise: relieve pain, treat active decay and infection, and start gum treatment and oral hygiene advice.
• Phase 2, restore: definitive work such as crowns, bridges, root treatment or replacements for missing teeth.
• Phase 3, maintain: the recall interval and hygiene visits that keep the result stable.

Phases also help with cost. A patient who cannot commit to the whole plan at once can often agree to phase 1 now and decide on phase 2 later, with the full picture in writing.

Offering options on a treatment plan

Most plans with any complex work involve a choice. A missing tooth might be replaced with an implant, a bridge or a denture. Each has different costs, visits and trade-offs. Setting them out side by side lets the patient compare like with like.

Keep each option complete. It should show its own items, its own phases and its own total, not a list of extras bolted onto one plan. Mark the one you recommend, but present the others fairly. A patient who understands why you recommend something is more likely to agree to it. Our guide to treatment plan acceptance covers how to present the plan once it is written.

NHS, private and mixed treatment plans

In England, NHS courses of treatment have their own plan form, the FP17DC. The NHSBSA's guidance on FP17DC treatment plan forms says:

• An FP17DC must be issued to all patients for all Band 2 and Band 3 courses of treatment.
• For a Band 1 course, it must also be issued if the course includes private treatment, such as a private hygienist appointment, or if the patient asks for a plan.
• Orthodontic courses use the FP17DCO.
• Practices can use a form generated by their practice management software instead, as long as the patient signs it and it includes the same information.

If a course mixes NHS and private items, the plan must show which is which. NHS patients in England currently pay £27.90 for Band 1, £76.60 for Band 2 and £332.10 for Band 3, according to the NHS guide to dental charges. The band charge covers the whole course, so show it once per option, not once per item. The rules on mixing, including why you cannot top up an NHS item with a private fee, are covered in our guide to mixing NHS and private dental treatment.

Keeping the treatment plan up to date

Plans change. A tooth thought restorable may need extracting, or a patient may switch from a bridge to an implant. GDC standard 2.3.8 says the patient must be told immediately and given an updated plan in writing.

The safest habit is to treat each change as a new version of the plan, not an edit to the old one. Keep the earlier version on file with the date and the reason for the change. If a patient later disputes what was agreed, you can show exactly what they were offered, when, and what changed. The same thinking applies to the rest of the clinical record, as our guide to dental record keeping guidelines explains.

Using software for treatment plans

A word-processor template works, but it cannot tell you which plans are waiting for a decision, which accepted work still needs booking, or what the patient was quoted when they arrive at the desk. That is where treatment plan software helps.

In DentiPoint, dental treatment plan software is part of the patient record. A plan can hold several options, one marked as recommended, each with its own phases and items. Every item carries the treatment, the tooth and surface, the quantity, the price, the chair time and whether it is NHS, private, practice plan or free. An NHS option shows its band charge once for the course, and a recorded exemption is taken into account. Changing a plan creates a new version with a reason, and earlier versions are kept. Staff record the patient's decision, which option was chosen and how it was given, and the accepted total is fixed at that point. When a visit delivers accepted work, the appointment is charged the agreed plan price, with the normal list price kept beside it. A queue shows every plan that needs booking or is awaiting a decision.

To be clear about scope: DentiPoint does not yet print or email the plan, generate an FP17DC or capture a patient signature. Give the patient a written, signed plan as you do today, and use DentiPoint to track what was offered, accepted and delivered.

Frequently asked questions

What should a dental treatment plan include?

At minimum, the proposed treatment, a realistic indication of cost, and whether each part is NHS or private, as required by GDC standard 2.3.7. Most practices also include findings, options, phases, a total per option and the patient's signature.

Does a patient have to sign a dental treatment plan?

The GDC says you should ask patients to sign the plan. For NHS courses in England, the FP17DC or an equivalent software form must be signed by the patient.

When is an FP17DC needed?

For all Band 2 and Band 3 NHS courses of treatment in England. For Band 1, only if the course includes private treatment or the patient asks for a plan.

What are the phases of a dental treatment plan?

A common structure is stabilise (pain, decay, gum health), restore (definitive work such as crowns or replacements) and maintain (recalls and hygiene). Phasing helps patients understand the order and spread the cost.

What if the treatment plan changes?

Tell the patient straight away and give them an updated plan in writing, as GDC standard 2.3.8 requires. Keep the earlier version and note why it changed.

A good treatment plan template is short, honest and specific: what you found, what you suggest, what it costs and who pays. Build that into how the whole team works and plans become easier to explain, agree and deliver. To see plans, options and acceptance tracked on the patient record, get started with DentiPoint.