Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting lists of young people waiting for braces.

More National Health Service orthodontic care is being delivered, with the Units of Orthodontic Activity having increased by 5.7% when compared to pre-pandemic figures, from 4.1 million in 2018/19 to 4.4 million in 2022/23. This suggests more NHS orthodontic care is being commissioned and delivered.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups, to undertake oral health need assessments to identify areas of need, and to determine the priorities for investment.

NHS England has published guidance to support commissioners in taking advantage of the opportunities offered through additional services, which includes orthodontic services, and further services, by using flexible commissioning to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/.