Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered allowing dental therapists to expand their scope of practice and hold their own NHS contracts; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this on the ability of practices offer more services and reduce delays and waiting times.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England and our recent Quality and Payment Reforms consultation outline the Government’s commitment to utilising the skills of the wider dental team to improve access to dental care. Amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 took effect in June 2024, to enable suitably trained and supported dental therapists to supply and administer specified medicines without requiring a Patient Group Direction or a Patient Specific Direction from a dentist.

We have no current plans to change the eligibility rules for holding National Health Service dental contracts. We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team, including dental therapists, to work to the top of their capability.