Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS dental practices are accepting new adult NHS patients in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

As of January 2026, the latest data available, none of the National Health Service dental practices in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’. For the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), 7% of NHS dental practices were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’, while across England 26% of NHS dental practices were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’.

This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England.

1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election, nearly half of which were delivered to children.

From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the most pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms will prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments, and better oral health.

We are also committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract by the end of the Parliament, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.