Britain 's five highest-earning NHS dentists are paid average salaries of £690,000 a year . The sum is almost five times the Prime Minister ’ s £142,500 pay packet – and comes as thousands of patients struggle to get on the books of NHS practices . A further 11 dentists were paid between £400,000 and £500,000 and a total of 177 received more than £200,000 . More than 1,600 pocketed £100,000-£200,000 . The figures lay bare the huge amounts of taxpayers ’ money paid to dentists for NHS work , following Labour ’ s introduction of controversial contracts in 2006 . Scroll down for video . Lucrative : Some dentists earn from multiple NHS contracts , as well as private patients . Campaigners said the payments were ‘ scandalous ’ and ‘ unacceptable ’ . Under freedom of information laws , the NHS Business Services Authority was asked about the pensionable pay of dentists who do NHS work . In 2012/13 , the latest figures available , five practitioners were paid more than £500,000 . They shared a total of about £3.4million – an average of £690,000 . This comes on top of any money they take from treating patients privately . Another 11 earned £400,000 to £499,999 from the NHS , 30 received £300,000 to £399,999 , 131 pocketed £200,000 to £299,999 and 1,617 received £100,000 to £199,999 . Katherine Murphy , of the Patients Association , said the rates of pay were ‘ exorbitant ’ . Yesterday 's Daily Mail . She added : ‘ Investment is urgently needed on the front line where there is a desperate shortage of nurses [ and ] patients waiting for hours in A & E … when the NHS is under such huge financial pressure , this type of spending on huge salaries is unacceptable. ’ It follows revelations in Thursday ’ s Mail that millions of pounds was being wasted on NHS prescriptions for suncream and toothpaste . Yesterday , the Mail also exposed a £2,700 charge for cataract surgery at some hospitals – treble the cost to the health service – raising suspicions that patients are being ripped off . Patient Concern ’ s Roger Goss said : ‘ This is scandalous . People will be shocked to hear the sums lining dentists ’ pockets when it is almost impossible to find dental care on the NHS in some parts of the country . ‘ There is something strange going on when the NHS will pay for gastric bands , suncream and hangover tablets yet it is so difficult to get dental treatment on it . It is almost perverse. ’ Jonathan Isaby of the Taxpayers Alliance , which the Mail commissioned to carry out the research , said the salaries show a ‘ shameless public sector elite taking taxpayers for a ride ’ . He added : ‘ It is outrageous that these telephone-number salaries have been hidden from the people who pay them … Taxpayers expect the money they put in to the NHS to be spent on patients , not on bumper pay packets. ’ The contracts brought in by Labour were designed to improve access to NHS dentistry . But patients are still struggling to get an appointment . The pay deals gave practitioners a fixed sum for a set amount of work agreed at the start of the year , rather than separate incomes for the number of patients treated or procedures done . Thursday 's Daily Mail . Treatments are divided into three bands , from a simple check-up earning the dentist £25 , to procedures such as fitting dentures and crowns , for roughly £300 . The value of a contract can run to millions of pounds , and some dentists run more than one practice so hold multiple contracts . According to the Health and Social Care Information Centre , 21,500 dentists did NHS work in 2012/13 , but most also do substantial amounts of private work . The British Dental Association ’ s Mick Armstrong said the top-earning dentists ‘ most likely own a group of practices ’ or are specialists in their area . But Tory Charlotte Leslie , who sat on the health select committee of MPs , said : ‘ Most people will be absolutely stunned individual clinicians are getting such astronomical salaries on the NHS. ’ A spokesman for NHS England said it contracts the vast majority of dental services from self-employed individuals or companies , some of whom ‘ earn income from a number of contracts ’ .
Highest - paying NHS were paid almost three times more than the Minister ’ s £ 142,500 pay ##roll . A further 11 dentists were paid between £ 400,000 and £ 500,000 a year . Lay bare huge amounts of extra money paid to pay for NHS work . Campaigners branded the payments were ‘ scandalous ’ and ‘ unacceptable ’