Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department is taking to (a) ensure a fair funding system for NHS dental practices and (b) increase the number of NHS dentists.

NHS England invests £3 billion in dentistry each year, with decisions on priorities made within the overall National Health Service budget. Health Education England has undertaken a three-year review of education and training, which is being implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme to improve recruitment and retention.

In July 2022, we announced measures to reform NHS dental services to increase access for patients and remunerate dentists fairly for caring for patients with complex needs. We are also working with NHS England and the sector on longer-term improvements to make NHS dentistry a more appealing place to work. During the last quarter of 2021, a one-off additional £50 million was made available for NHS dental services to allow those patients unable to obtain an NHS appointment access to dental care.