Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care boards will be responsible for the recruitment and retention of NHS dentists.

Integrated care boards will not be responsible for the recruitment and retention of National Health Service dentists. NHS dentists are independent contractors commissioned to undertake NHS dental treatment.

We are addressing recruitment and retention in dentistry through reforms which came into effect on 25 November 2022 to make the NHS dental contract more attractive. NHS England is holding discussions on further improvements to the NHS dental system with the British Dental Association and other stakeholders groups and additional reforms will be implemented in April 2023.