Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government's policy is on supporting the registration of overseas (a) dentists and (b) other dental care professionals to help tackle potential NHS skills shortages in those areas.

To deliver National Health Service primary care services, a dental practitioner must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and listed on the Dental Performers List (DPL) of the country in which they wish to practise. The England DPL is held by NHS England, each of the Devolved Governments has its own Performers List, held by an equivalent organisation.

In March 2023, we introduced legislation that allows the GDC greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes. The GDC, as an independent regulator, has identified the ways it considers these processes can best be improved and is working to implement those changes over the next 12 months.

We have also introduced changes to support overseas dentists to start working in the NHS in England. In May 2023, we introduced changes to the England Performers List Regulations to accelerate the process for overseas dentists to join the England DPL, and as of 1 April 2023, no dentist needs to pay an application fee to NHS England to join the DPL.