Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to collect and publish data on the impact of poor oral health and delayed or unmet dental treatment on NHS hospital activity and costs.

An annual report analyses tooth extraction hospital episodes due to tooth decay and other reasons in National Health Service hospitals in England for zero to 19 year olds, with an estimate of the annual cost of these tooth extractions. This is published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2025/short-statistical-commentary-for-hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2025

The National Dental Epidemiology Programme’s (NDEP) oral health surveys and decennial adult and child oral health surveys measure the prevalence and severity of tooth decay, oral health inequalities, and unmet need. The findings include a measure of clinical signs because of advanced, untreated tooth decay, and include signs of sepsis. The NDEP and decennial surveys can be accessed at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/oral-health

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-oral-health-survey-2023/conditions-potentially-requiring-urgent-care#pufa-signs-1

These surveys are epidemiological surveys and do not attempt to estimate associated costs to the NHS.