A government consultation is considering whether newly qualified dentists could be required to deliver NHS care for several years after they graduate.
Training an individual dentist can cost up to around £300,000, of which costs in the region of £200,000 are not repayable by the student.
However, the government is concerned about the number of newly qualified dentists going straight into private practice.
Of more than 35,000 dentists registered with the General Dental Council in England, just over 24,000 delivered some NHS care in England in 2022/23.
The consultation asks whether newly qualified dentists should commit to delivering a minimum amount of NHS dental care for a minimum number of years after graduating, and whether they should repay some of the public funding invested in their training if they do not.
The consultation will run for eight weeks.
Health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins said: "I want to make access to dentistry faster, simpler and fairer for everyone – and part of this is ensuring that dentists are supporting the NHS with their skills and expertise.
"Taxpayers make a significant investment in training dentists, so it is only right to expect dental graduates to work in the NHS once they’ve completed their training.
"This builds on our dental recovery plan, which set out how we will create up to 2.5 million extra appointments this year alone and is already showing results with an extra 500 practices providing appointments."
Louise Ansari, CEO at Healthwatch England said: "We welcome the opportunity for the public to have their say about these long-term proposals to address dental workforce issues, especially as access to NHS appointments continues to be one of the main issues we hear about from people across the country.
"We also look forward to seeing separate government proposals on reforming the NHS dental contract in the coming months, as set out in the Dental Recovery Plan. In the meantime, NHS bodies that plan and fund dentistry across England should take concerted and imaginative action to ensure people in greatest need can get dental care quickly."
