It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of James Gray. I congratulate Judith Cummins on securing this debate and recognise her long-standing interest in improving access to dental care, particularly highlighting challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. The number of patients dentists could safely see each day drastically reduced due to aerosol-generating procedures, leading to the temporary suspension of non-urgent treatments. Urgent dental care centres were established across the country, with up to 635 in operation at one point. To address the high risk of infection from aerosols, Public Health England initially required rooms be rested for up to an hour after each procedure; this guidance has since been updated to allow NHS practices to resume services provided they have appropriate PPE and infection prevention measures in place. Around 81% of NHS dentists have signed up to access the portal for PPE, with over 50 million items dispensed. The minister acknowledges challenges in the private sector and aims to mitigate widening oral health inequalities. She notes that more than 6,000 NHS practices should now offer face-to-face care but prioritise vulnerable groups. Discussions are ongoing to establish ways to reduce room resting times and increase provision safely. The minister also mentions working on key initiatives to reduce inequalities for children, the elderly, and the frail, including flexible commissioning models that allow dentists to be remunerated for outreach activities in schools and care homes.