Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that dental practices are subject to effective regulation.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all health and social care services, including dental services in England. The commission ensures quality and safety across a range of sectors that deliver health and care to people in England.

The CQC carries out assessments of primary dental services to determine if they are compliant with regulations. The CQC does not rate dental practices in the same way that it rates other healthcare services. The inspections focus on compliance with regulations and result in a ‘regulations met’ or ‘regulations not met’ judgement. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/assessment/assessing-quality-and-performance/services-we-do-not-rate

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the UK, with the primary role of protecting patient safety and maintaining public confidence. It fulfils this role by registering qualified dental professionals, setting standards for education, training, and conduct, and investigating serious complaints regarding professionals’ fitness to practise. The GDC’s Standards for the Dental Team set out professional standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, including principles for honest and transparent business practices.