Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps they are taking to ensure the resumption of mobile dental services for housebound patients in England; and what guidance is available to the public advising how these services can be accessed.

The commissioning responsibility for dental services lies with seven regions across England who will have local processes in place, including identifying areas of need and determining the priorities for investment to meet those needs, including services for housebound patients. Following the resumption of face-to-face dental services on 8 June 2020, dental providers were asked to prioritise urgent care and high needs vulnerable patients.

Information on dental treatment for people with special needs, including how housebound patients can access domiciliary services, is available in an online-only format on the National Health Service website. Community dental services provide specialised dental services and are available in a variety of places to ensure everyone can have access to dental care. These include hospitals, specialists’ health centres and mobile clinics, as well as home visits or visits in nursing and care homes.