Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Dental recovery plan ambition misaligned with targets, failing to ensure universal access
Conclusion
The initial announcement of the dental recovery plan claimed that its aim was to “significantly expand access so that everyone who needs to see a dentist will be able to”.51 However, that ambition was never aligned to the actual targets of the plan, as an additional 1.5 million courses of treatment would have left overall delivery in 2024–25 around 2.6 million courses of treatment short of pre–pandemic levels.52 DHSC confirmed this to us, saying that “even had all the aspirations of this plan been achieved, we would not have got to a point where everyone could see a dentist”.53 DHSC and NHSE’s modelling
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 10 July 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗