Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentistry training places have been funded by Health Education England in each of the last five years.

The Office for Students’ target for the number of dental school places taken up each year is 809, with scope for marginal variation each year averaged over five years.

The Government temporarily lifted the cap on dental school places in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on A-Levels. Consequently, more places were funded above the 809 annual target in those years. In 2020/21, there were 895 places and 970 in 2021/22. From 2022/23, the target reverts to 809.