Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the number of number of children with dental disease over the last five years.

On research and innovation, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 20 July to Question 17992.

In the North East, and across the rest of England, we are committed to increasing access to dental treatment for those in greatest need, including children, as set out in the reform programme published last December, and available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-boost-for-millions-of-nhs-dental-patients

The latest NHS Dental Statistics show continued improvement across a range of key measures. Just under three million additional National Health Service dental treatments were delivered in 2025/26 compared to the year before the 2024 election. Approximately half of those additional treatments benefited children, with access for children now above pre-pandemic levels. These statistics, which include statistics for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, are available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202526

The National Dental Epidemiology Programme publishes data on the oral health of five year old schoolchildren every two years. The latest data, for 2023/24, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-schoolchildren-2024