Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to make efficiency savings in NHS dental services; and if he will make a statement.

On 25 November 2022, amendments to the National Health Service dental contract came into effect, which will increase access for patients, make NHS dentistry a more attractive place to work and increase efficiency. NHS England has updated dental contract reporting to record data on patient risk and recall intervals to enable commissioners to identify where patients are recalled sooner than needed, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s existing guidelines. The amendments to the contract also more fairly remunerate NHS dentists for complex Band 2 treatments, which will improve access for those with high treatment needs without affecting patient charges.