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 promote the recruitment of dentists in communities with comparatively low levels of dental provision.

Health Education England (HEE) set out a range of recommendations in their Advancing Dental Care Review, which aim to tackle recruitment, retention and attracting dentists to the NHS. One of their proposals was the creation of Centres for Dental Development in localities where there is a shortage in provision, which would bring together education and service elements in smaller units. HEE have now moved into their implementation stage through their Dental Education Reform Programme.