Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to dentistry in rural areas.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in more rural and coastal areas. This Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

We also know that the most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is to have rotting teeth removed. That is why we will also introduce a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for children aged three to five, targeting the areas of highest need.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England.