Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential link between oral health and diabetes.

The Government recognises that patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of developing severe gum disease.

Patients with diabetes need to access effective dental care and local pathways should be developed to support this. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and for ensuring that the relevant dental services are available. The NHS England commissioning standard on dental care for people with diabetes provides guidance to ICBs on how to ensure these patients can access the care they need. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standard-dental-care-for-people-with-diabetes/