Fixing NHS Dentistry

Two-fifths of the adult population in England saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months up to March 2024 – this is down from just under half of the adult population pre-pandemic. There were 483 fewer dentists providing some NHS care in England in 2023-24 compared with 2019-20. The previous Government published its Dental Recovery … Show more

Two-fifths of the adult population in England saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months up to March 2024 – this is down from just under half of the adult population pre-pandemic. There were 483 fewer dentists providing some NHS care in England in 2023-24 compared with 2019-20. The previous Government published its Dental Recovery Plan in February 2024. This aimed to increase access to NHS dentistry services, aspiring to deliver more than 1.5m additional courses of treatment, or 2.5m appointments total, in 2024-25. The Health and Social Care Committee launched an inquiry into NHS dentistry in 2022, following a survey that showed 90% of practices across the UK were not accepting new adult NHS patients. Its 2023 report called for a Fundamental reform of NHS dentistry to end a ‘crisis of access’. The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) 2019 report into penalty charge notices in healthcare found that the rules for claiming free prescriptions and dental treatment were confusing and needed to be changed. The National Audit Office published its own report conclusions from its investigation into the Dental Recovery Plan in November 2024 . It found that the plan was unlikely to deliver its target of 1.5m additional treatments, and that even if the target was reached, it would still be 2.6m fewer treatments per year than pre-pandemic levels. It further highlighted a £392m underspend in 2023-24 across the NHS dental budget. Based on the NAO report, the PAC will hear from senior Government officials on delivery of better access to NHS dentistry and progress on the plan, with likely topics including: The dental contract; Falls in the number of dentists; The current picture on Government spending to support access to NHS dentistry. The Committee is unable to help with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. If you have evidence on this issue, please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 30 January. Show less