Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for patients to get an appointment with an NHS dentist in (a) Hounslow Borough (b) London.

No assessment has been made. Patients do not routinely join National Health Service dental waiting lists and are only registered with a dental practice for a course of treatment.

The Government has taken steps to address the challenges facing NHS dentistry, and the package of reforms announced last July is an important first step. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes soon. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.