Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to publish an assessment of the areas of the country with lowest levels of access to NHS dentistry.

There are no current plans to publish an assessment. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet National Health Service dental needs and increase access to dental services throughout England.

NHS England are leading discussions with the British Dental Association, other dental stakeholder groups and patients for further reform of the NHS dental system in 2023. We are aware that certain areas have particular challenges with access to dental care. One of the aims of the next stage of NHS dental system reforms is to improve access for patients, including in areas that traditionally experience access challenges.

We have already made amendments to the NHS dental contract that aim to make the dental contract more appealing to dentists and improve access for patients. A summary of these changes can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement, issued in July 2022 at the following link: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-07-19/hcws223