Expresses concern over the decline of NHS dentistry, citing instances where individuals, including children and elderly people, are unable to access dental care. Mentions that it is becoming more common for people to seek treatment abroad or remain registered overseas due to the high cost of private dental care in the UK. Criticises the lack of funds available for opening new NHS dentist practices through underspend.

Asks if the Minister can provide an update on incentives to keep more dentists in the NHS, highlighting that around 65% of respondents from her area reported their dentist going private as a reason for not having an NHS dentist.

Supports the debate on the importance of addressing why dentists leave the NHS, arguing that training more dentists without tackling underlying issues is ineffective. Suggests a need for government action to address this systemic problem.

Indicated dissent on an unspecified point raised during the debate.

I welcome the steps taken by the Government but these are just sticking plasters on deep-rooted issues. Almost 14 million people could not access NHS dental care, and many have turned to DIY solutions like pulling their own teeth. The dentistry budget has halved since 2010 from £3.3% to 1.5%, leading to more than three times as many people struggling with access compared to before the pandemic. I urge the Minister to look specifically at medical exemptions for epilepsy-related dental damage and to set a firm deadline for a new system this Parliament. A new contract breaking with units of dental activity, prioritising prevention and ensuring NHS dentistry is attractive for professionals must be implemented urgently.

The Government were elected on a platform that included a dentistry rescue plan but have not delivered in rural areas. In Somerset and other rural counties, fewer NHS dental treatments have been provided compared to before the general election. Families in these areas should not need to travel miles for basic care or resort to DIY solutions like pulling their own teeth. Contract reform is fundamentally what we need, but after two years in office, it seems the Government are still using consultation as a delaying tactic. I urge the Minister to consider local partnerships that could train more dentists locally and encourage them to work there afterwards.

Described the challenges faced by her constituents, including John, an 81-year-old blind man who had to pay £280 for a private emergency tooth extraction due to lack of NHS dentists in Scarborough. She highlighted Margaret's story, where she was grateful for recent changes but still faced issues because her regular dentist went private. The speaker emphasised the need for specific targeted action to address dental deserts in rural and coastal areas.

Reported that almost half of children in Cambridgeshire have not seen a dentist in 12 months, leading to high rates of tooth decay. She criticised Labour for introducing the new dentist contract in 2006 which led to dentists leaving the NHS. She called for changes to the current contract and a commitment to implement these changes.

Discussed past efforts to attract NHS dentists, mentioning her experience in Braunstone health centre where spaces were repurposed due to lack of interest from dentists. She proposed utilising the current dental workforce more efficiently by reallocating tasks based on skill level rather than exclusively relying on dentists for all services.

He highlighted that tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children and cited a Policy Exchange report indicating there are over 37,000 dentists in England but only around 10,500 full-time equivalent NHS dentists. Stafford criticised the current dental contract which rewards volume rather than complexity or preventive care, and suggested that incremental change is insufficient to address systemic failures.

The hon. Member for Redcar, Mary Foy, supported the call for a proper measurement of dental access by publishing local data showing which practices are accepting new NHS patients and how many clinical hours are being delivered. She also raised issues with incorrect payments from the NHS Business Services Authority and unit of dental activity caps which prevent dentists from providing necessary care to patients.

In my constituency, registering with an NHS dentist as a new patient has become extremely difficult. East of England has the lowest number of NHS dentists per head of population. Patients are travelling long distances for appointments and ringing dozens of practices without success. Ministers have admitted that the system is improving but the reality is stark: patients cannot access care until pain becomes unbearable. Leanne from Halesworth took three years to find an NHS dentist, while her children still cannot access care. Michael from Dickleburgh spent more than £2,000 on private treatment due to lack of NHS availability. The British Dental Association estimates that the NHS dental budget has been cut by a third since 2010, reducing allocation to 1.5% of overall NHS budget. Urgent appointments are emphasised but without additional workforce and funding, routine care will be compromised. Children’s oral health is particularly affected; tooth decay is leading cause of hospital admission among five to nine-year-olds in England. To address the crisis, the Government must commit adequate funding, support innovative training models like Suffolk's, review NHS dental contracts, and boost dental places in regions lacking them.

Cornwall is a dental desert. Every single NHS practice is closed to new adult patients; less than 30% of adults have seen a dentist in the last two years compared with 40.7% across England. Since 2010, the proportion of NHS budget spent on dentistry has halved. Dental professionals are leaving Cornwall due to poor working conditions and lack of incentives. The Peninsula dental school offers free care and community outreach but needs more funding for expansion. The current contract based on UDAs is flawed, leading to under-delivery in some cases. A new incentive scheme encourages practices to meet their targets; the Government has introduced reforms from April 2026 with a level of urgent care at improved rates. Various schemes are in place to tackle acute need: dental van for veterans and fishing community, school brushing programme reaching three quarters of schools, and plans for six new dental practices through clawed-back funding.

The south-west is the worst-affected region; fewer than one in three adults have seen a dentist in previous two years, lowest rate in England. People end up in A&E for dental problems due to lack of access; this is almost twice as common as in London. South-West has highest vacancy rate and one of lowest ratios of full-time dentists per head. In Devon, 38% of adults had seen a dentist in previous two years, down from 54% a decade ago; only 47% of children have seen a dentist in the last year, down from 61% ten years ago. Example given: Ken from Northleigh has dentures that no longer fit and went to private dentist who quoted £3,800 for new dentures. Only one 'golden hello' taken up in Devon despite Government pledges. Need properly funded training and retention of dental professionals; nobody should end up in A&E due to lack of NHS access.

The debate centres on the urgent need to rebuild NHS dentistry as a genuine public service. Mr Prinsley highlights issues such as dental deserts, families being forced to choose between going private or not having access to any dental care, and the historical shift from public to private practice due to contract changes. He supports positive steps like new training programmes for overseas dentists but emphasises the need for a new NHS dentist contract with incentives that prioritise public service over profit.

Mr Amos notes improvements in dental care provision in Somerset, acknowledging the efforts of campaigners and local NHS teams. He addresses the ongoing issue of limited funding affecting access to dental care for children, highlighting a significant number of children without access to an NHS dentist due to budget constraints. Mr Amos calls for prioritising child patients in NHS appointments and emphasises the importance of prevention through initiatives like The Magic Dentist charity.

Mr Rushworth speaks on behalf of his constituents affected by the closure of NHS dental practices. He discusses the challenges of an underfunded service and a broken contract, welcoming some Government initiatives but stressing the need for reform and increased funding to ensure all have access to regular NHS primary care dentistry. He urges the Minister not to delay consultations on new proposals and highlights that investing in NHS dentistry is financially prudent compared to emergency dental costs.

Across my Thornbury and Yate constituency, the lack of dental practices providing NHS services has been particularly acute. Less than a third of adults and just under half of children in my patch have been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years—both figures are well below the national average. Constituents regularly express frustration at the lack of local NHS provision. David, one constituent, waited nearly two years for an appointment before his practice went private; he required emergency treatment but did not receive full resolution and was advised to seek private care. Doris, another constituent, had a dental infection for months due to no NHS provision in south Gloucestershire and had to go private. The Government should review the impact of practices converting to private provision on patient access and consider rural dental provisions in contract reviews.

I have been extremely grateful for NHS dentists who provided years of treatment after an accident destroyed my teeth 20 years ago. Many constituents, however, contact me about the lack of access to NHS dentistry; some are told by NHS dentists that they will be seen within six to 12 months but can get a private appointment immediately at a much higher cost. I agree we should consider spending more money on fixing dental services, such as the £1.5 billion mentioned. Fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract is necessary: it must focus on prevention, treat complex problems, and address workforce demands.

In Dorset, there was a £9 million underspend in our dentistry budget last year, and £6 million was removed from the supposedly ringfenced budget this year. Urgent care is arranged through NHS 101, but few know about it. There are proposals for a dental school in Bournemouth, but only for dental technicians—not dentists—which is not helpful. Dentists refuse complex procedures due to financial reasons and refer patients to hospitals where they join long waiting lists. Residents are losing their teeth faster than we can find solutions; this issue is urgent and needs immediate attention.

In Wiltshire, only 29% of adults were seen by dentists in two years, and only 56% of children are seen annually. Nationally, over 12 million children did not see an NHS dentist in the year to June 2024. Tooth decay is now the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged six to 10, with over 35,000 children admitted each year for tooth extractions under general anaesthetic. Oral cancers are rising due to lack of access to dental services, which can be detected early by dentists and have a survival rate of around 90% if caught early. I urge the Government to act urgently to end dental deserts, restore children’s services before a generation grows up without routine care, and allow qualified Ukrainian dentists to work for the NHS.

The phrases “dental desert” and “DIY dentistry” highlight the severe lack of access to NHS dental care, with over 5 million children not seeing a dentist in 2025. Barriers include workforce shortages, limited capacity, and geographical isolation. Rural areas are particularly affected, with fewer than 46 dentists per 100,000 people in many regions. The British Dental Association found that 96% of dentists refuse to take on new NHS patients. Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged six to ten, and over 100,000 children were admitted due to rotting teeth between 2018 and 2024. Many turn to DIY dentistry out of desperation, with one patient using pliers to extract a tooth. Labour's response has been inadequate, offering only an extra 50 training places when more substantial action is needed. The Liberal Democrats propose a £750 million rescue plan to guarantee access to urgent and emergency care, free dental check-ups for children, new mothers, low-income individuals, and those needing pre-surgery check-ups. They also advocate reforming the current dental contract to increase NHS dentist engagement.

I congratulate the hon. Members for Yeovil, Sunderland Central, Waveney Valley, and my hon. Friend the Member for Farnham and Bordon on securing this important debate. The previous Conservative Government began establishing dental schools in Norwich and Portsmouth to bring the next generation of dentists, hygienists, and dental therapists to local people; the current government is continuing that effort with 25 training places allocated to each school. I have long campaigned for a dental school in Lincoln and am waiting for final sign-off from relevant bodies. The Government consulted on proposals to require dental graduates to work in NHS dentistry for three years after qualifying, but details are still awaited. Despite population growth, there are more dentists per 100,000 people than in 2009; however, the workforce plan was delayed until spring ’26, now summer ’26. The current issue is not the number of dentists, but those who do NHS work; thus, making NHS more attractive to dentists is key, as they are disincentivised from working there due to issues with the contract created under the previous Labour Government in 2006. There are several issues with the units of dental activity model: fluctuation between practices creates inequities in payment, it does not equate with real-time cost delivery, and does not always cover care costs. The Conservative government started to change these issues but there seems little progress since; a consultation on fundamental contract reform was promised before summer but we are now in June—details of the plans remain unclear. Government promises regarding urgent dental appointments have not been met: 700,000 were promised with 1 million commissioned, yet just 100,000 additional appointments had been taken up; unattended appointments paid for by government need clarification. The number of children admitted to hospital due to tooth decay has increased in recent years despite initiatives like the Big Brush Club—details on this programme and its effectiveness are needed. Prevention is important: fluoridation of water supply can help eliminate tooth decay, as found in a 2026 report. NHS dentistry impacts wider health too; delivering it is important but so far feels lacking in action.

The previous government's ineptitude resulted in a £126 million annual underspend which was squandered, and no new training schools were established. The current Labour Government is addressing these issues by reducing the underspend to under 10%, embedding urgent dental care into NHS practices, providing higher payments for treating patients needing urgent care, simplifying complex treatments with single patient charges, and expanding dental school places to train more dentists.

Asked the Minister about the disparity in Somerset's dental treatment performance compared to pre-election figures, questioning why it has worsened despite claims of improvement. Implied that there is significant work still needed to address the current state of NHS dentistry.

Acknowledged contributions from fellow MPs and thanked the Minister for his responses during the debate. Noted survey results showing widespread dissatisfaction among Yeovil's dentists and public regarding government progress on NHS dentistry, calling for cross-party collaboration to address the issue.

Highlighted the unanimous concern across the House about the state of NHS dentistry. Sought clarification from the Minister regarding when formal negotiations on a new contract will commence and what his deadline is for implementing changes within this Parliament.

Asked why there was an additional year delay before introducing measures that would benefit dental students, suggesting the Minister should introduce these provisions in September with new dental students.