Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect on the number of patients with dental issues who present at (1) accident and emergency departments, and (2) GP surgeries.

The specific data requested is not centrally collated, although the Noble Lord can find general information on A&E attendances disaggregated by primary diagnosis in NHS England’s annual publications on Hospital Accident & Emergency Activity.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people can access urgent National Health Service dental care when they need it. We have introduced a package of reforms from April this year to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. This includes introducing a requirement for NHS dental practices to deliver a set proportion of their contract as urgent care, supported by increased payments for delivering this care.