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 for dental students in training to carry out supervised NHS dental appointments to help reduce the backlog in routine and urgent care in West Dorset.

Every undergraduate dental student gains clinical experience in the course of their studies under the supervision of a qualified supervisor.

Clinical placements provide dental students with the opportunity to develop a range of skills, including clinical abilities and effective communication with both patients and colleagues. The patients receiving treatment should never be charged for the care they receive.

These placements are designed to provide students with exposure to a range of clinical environments, rather than to enhance overall National Health Service delivery.