Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to provide dental treatment for older people (1) in receipt of pension credit, and (2) who are unable to afford dental treatment by private sector providers.

Dentistry is a universal NHS service available to all who are entitled to use NHS services. There are no age restrictions. If anyone of any age is having difficulty finding a National Health Service dentist they should contact NHS 111 for advice on locating a practice able to offer care. There have been no reports that NHS England and NHS Improvement are aware of that older people have more difficulty than younger people in finding an NHS dentist.

Information is not held on the number of practices in England covered by an NHS contract. Information is held on the number of treatment locations there are in England where NHS dentistry is provided. This information is not held for 1990 or 2000 or 2015. As of 1 March 2020, the NHS Business Services Authority advises there were approximately 7,400 treatment locations in England providing some NHS care. Information is not held on which of these saw patients over the age of 65. NHS dentists are expected to treat patients of all ages and it would be very exceptional if a practice happened to have no patients in this age group.