Dental Health

(asked on 18th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve preventative dental healthcare.


Answered by
Seema Kennedy Portrait
Seema Kennedy
This question was answered on 26th June 2019

The Government is committed to improving oral health and preventing future dental disease.

The Department and NHS England are continuing to test a new way of providing National Health Service dental services which aims to further improve oral health and increase dental access. There are now 102 practices trialling the new approach to providing dentistry which focusses on prevention and helping patients to reduce their risk of future dental disease.

NHS England’s ‘Starting Well’ programme is working in 13 high needs areas to reach children most at risk of tooth decay, who are not currently under the routine care of a dentist.

Nationally, NHS England has developed a complementary Starting Well Core offer, a commissioning approach designed to facilitate increased access and early preventive care for young children. This programme is supported by the Chief Dental Officer, which commissioners can use, and fund locally based on their own assessment of need.

Health Education England’s Advancing Dental Care programme is also aiming to ensure that all dental care professionals deliver high quality care and prevent future disease.

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