Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when dentists will be able to resume normal practice in England after the covid-19 lockdown.

Routine dentistry has been suspended during the peak of the pandemic period with urgent face to face care concentrated on urgent dental care centres both to support social distancing measures and maximise safety for patients. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working to ensure appropriate services are in place for all who need them. All National Health Service dental practices are expected to provide urgent advice over the phone and, if needed, prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics. Practices, or NHS 111 if the patient is unable to contact a practice, will triage patients and if needed refer to one of the urgent dental centres set up so far by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

As of 20 May there are 528 NHS urgent dental centres across England providing urgent dental care and treatment to patients.

NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer are looking urgently, in collaboration with the dental sector, at how soon wider NHS dental services can safely reopen. ?NHS England will publish further guidance once decisions on the recovery of dental services have been finalised.