Oral Question·Department of Health and Social Care
“What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dentists.”
Tabled: 13 November 2024Answered: 19 November 2024
Asked by
Dan Aldridge
Labour — Weston-super-Mare
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Answer from Hansard
The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)
After 14 years of Tory neglect and incompetence, NHS dentistry in England has been left in a parlous state. Tooth decay is the most common reason why children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital, and 28% of the country—13 million people—have an unmet need for dentistry. Rescuing NHS dentistry will not happen overnight. We will expand the provision of urgent dental appointments across the country, and we are working with the sector to reform the dental contract in order to increase access and incentivise more NHS care.