The majority of complaints logged by the Dental Complaints Service (DCS) are resolved within three working days, according to the Service's first annual report.

Derek Prentice, Chair of the DCS, said 'Speed is crucial. All the evidence shows that the longer a complaint takes to resolve, the less likely it is to be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved who tend to become more and more entrenched.'

The DCS is an independent body set up by the General Dental Council (GDC) to help resolve complaints about private dental care. The report shows that the Service logged more than 1,500 complaints in its first year of operation, more than half of which were resolved over the telephone.

The success of the Service is also due to the very positive response it has received from dental professionals, who have praised it for its even-handedness. 'In addition to speed of response and action, we've built the service with an emphasis on being fair and impartial in all we do, and take pride in the transparency of our process,' said Mr Prentice.

More than 5,000 enquiries were made to the Service using its local rate complaints hotline (08456 120540) over the year. Half were about NHS dental services, which were redirected to the appropriate NHS contact. Of the 1,500-plus legitimate complainants, over three-quarters were initially referred back to their dental practice's own complaints procedures. Of those, fewer than one in five returned to the Dental Complaints Service with their complaint unresolved.

'Resolving complaints successfully is a crucial test for a profession,' continued Mr Prentice. 'Through the GDC, the dental profession has risen to the challenge – at least, where private dental care is concerned. The NHS should take note and follow.

Across the UK, most complaints have been about dentists, with a few about other dental professionals. Most complaints concerned solely private treatment, but a few were about mixed NHS/private treatment. Complaints that raise issues about patient safety and whether a practitioner should be allowed to continue practising continue to be dealt with by the GDC.