When plans to reform dentistry in England and Wales appeared, it felt like finding an oasis in a dental desert. Finally, something was happening to address the access problems and funding shortfalls that have caused misery to patients and driven many colleagues away from the NHS.

Historically, the DDU has not commented on contractual and commissioning matters, but it's become increasingly clear to us that the current system has a significant dento-legal dimension, adding to the pressure on professionals and fomenting the conditions for patient complaints to rise - as I pointed out in my last column.

After the disappointment of seeing the GDC pushed to the back of the queue on regulatory reform, it's encouraging to see politicians start to make good on their promises to reform the dental service with the 10 Year Health Plan for England and NHS dentistry contract: quality and payment reforms (a separate dental services consultation has just closed in Wales). However, the UK government itself acknowledges it's only the beginning. And as ever, the devil will be in the detail.

The DDU certainly welcomes the emphasis on preventive care, better remuneration and lightening the load on dentists by making better use of the skill mix in dental teams.

But while we can see the financial logic in addressing the issue of unnecessarily short recall intervals and the potential introduction of requiring new dentists to work for a minimum period in the NHS, we do have concerns about the possible impact on the dentist-patient relationship and its dento-legal implications

When we talk about improving the quality of the dental service, it often means different things to different stakeholders. Dentists tend to be focused on the quality of the dentistry they can provide, while the NHS is concerned with contract delivery. But what patients value most are continuity of care and the human connection.

"Never treat a stranger" is a piece of wisdom I took to heart when I was a dental student and during my years of practice. In my experience, having the time and opportunities to build a good rapport with my patients helped them to feel comfortable in the dental chair and made it easier to discuss their diagnosis and treatment plan.

And if a problem did arise, there was a better chance of being able to put things right if there was goodwill on either side.

If changes are rushed or poorly communicated, there's a risk that the bond between practitioners and patients will be stretched to breaking point and practices will again be left to deal with the fallout.

For example, how might patients react to a two-year recall interval when they believe they have been doing the right thing by attending for six-monthly check-ups? Will patients in Wales be happy if they are allocated to a different practice whenever they need a check-up by the proposed Dental Access Portals (DAP)?

And would patients really want to be seen by a practitioner who is only working for the NHS under sufferance, rather than because they genuinely want to be there?

It's ironic that all this is happening so soon after the new GP contract heralded, "the return of the family doctor," with GP practices, "incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor" each time.

Dental patients are no longer registered with a dental practitioner (outside Scotland and Northern Ireland), but I wonder how many know this and still value their long-term relationship with a family dental practice?

At the DDU, our role is to look after dental professionals in the same way that you look after patients, whether it's being at the end of the telephone to provide you with one-to-one advice, or support throughout the life of a complaint or claim, as in the example in this issue. We see at first-hand how reassuring that personal touch is for members who are worried about an incident or struggling with the stress of a protracted fitness to practise investigation.

Of course, we want the government to succeed in its mission of turning round NHS dentistry, but we should be wary of losing something important in the process. In our response to the government's consultation, we'll be urging it to strike a balance between reform and maintaining the human connection that underpins dental practice.