# What is a dental lead and how are they qualified?

Source: https://thelocaldentist.co.uk/answers/what-is-a-dental-lead-and-how-are-they-qualified/
Updated: 2026-07-13

## Quick answer

A dental lead here is a patient enquiry: someone who uses our comparison flow, chooses your practice, and submits name, contact details, and what they need. We qualify by requiring consent and a private treatment need, and by filtering incomplete submissions and obvious duplicates before you are charged or counted against an included allowance.

## Key facts

- Lead = patient selected your practice and submitted contact details with a stated need
- Private needs only: check-up/hygiene, cosmetic, orthodontics, implants-restorative, emergency
- We never sell NHS access as paid leads
- Incomplete forms and duplicates are filtered before they reach you
- Consent to be contacted is required
- Lead fees and included allowances depend on your partner tier — see /for-dentists/

Editorial content from The Local Dentist — not clinical advice.