Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address staff shortages within NHS dentistry.

In July 2022, we announced a package of dental system improvements to increase access for National Health Service dental patients and make NHS dentistry more attractive to practices. NHS England negotiated amendments to the NHS dental contract with the British Dental Association and other stakeholders. These improvements, which came into effect in November 2022, will ensure dentists are more fairly remunerated for the delivery of NHS care and making NHS dentistry a more attractive place to work and improve access for patients.

We have also recently simplified the General Dental Council's legislative framework for the registration of international dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs). The legislative changes came into force on 8 March 2023. We will announce our plan for further reform of the NHS dental system later this year. It will include several areas requiring further action to support and recover activity in NHS dentistry. We are also committed to publishing a long-term NHS workforce plan that will set out the actions and reforms that are required to reduce supply gaps and improve retention, including in dentistry.