EDM 28: Dental provision in the South West of England

That this House notes with concern the lack of NHS dentist provision in South West England; is shocked to learn that parents are often being told to take their children to private dentists in order to get a basic check-up; is concerned that over 100,000 children aged between 6 and 10 years have been admitted to hospital with rotting teeth since 2018; believes that the current situation is leading to children missing out on vital check-ups; supports providing supervised toothbrush training for children in nurseries and schools; further believes that VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste should be scrapped; and calls on the new Government to work with relevant primary care bodies to end the dental deserts in the South West region by bringing dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by fixing the broken NHS dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs so that local residents can access NHS dental services when they need it.