Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what incentives are available to encourage NHS dentists to practice in areas with unmet dental need.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary dental care services to meet local need. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform, designed with the support of the profession, encouraging improved dental provision in all areas and addressing unmet need.

Health Education England (HEE) is also working with service commissioners to develop National Health Service dental practices to provide more dental foundation training opportunities where access to NHS dentistry is a known issue. Nationally, HEE is reviewing future training posts to ensure an equitable distribution of NHS dentists in England.