Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental laboratories have closed in England since March 2020.

No information is held by the Department on the adequacy of the service provided by Dental Laboratories to dentists. Dentists contract with laboratories both in the United Kingdom and overseas and this is a commercial relationship between dentist and laboratory.

Demand for the appliances dental laboratories provide is likely to be reduced during the COVID-19 outbreak as the enhanced infection control required means most dentists are able to see fewer patients than prior to the outbreak.

Because dental laboratories are private companies the Department holds no information on their numbers or whether any have closed in the UK or overseas.