Thank you, madam deputy speaker.
I am grateful for the opportunity this evening to draw the attention of the House to an issue that affects millions of British people and families right across our country: the current state of NHS dental services throughout the UK
Our NHS dentistry, from which I and so many others in North Down have benefited—just as countless people across our United Kingdom have—was founded on a basic principle, indeed I would call it a promise: that everyone, regardless of income, background or postcode, should be able to access essential dental care when they need it. It is a foundational pillar of our wider health system, and a critical measure of our nation’s public health.
Every Member of this House would do well to ask where that basic principle and promise now stands in Britain in 2026.
Our NHS dentistry is under severe and unsustainable strain.
This evening, I want to speak plainly about where we are, why and how we have reached this point, how it is affecting both patients and professionals alike, and what must be done if—and it is a very big if—we are truly serious about saving NHS dentistry for future generations.
So where are we now?
Across North Down, across Northern Ireland, and indeed across the whole of the United Kingdom, the picture is deeply disturbing and, for too many, painfully familiar.
Finding an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult. My constituents in North Down—like so many in England, Scotland and Wales—are joining waiting lists that stretch for months, and in some cases even for years. Some are ringing multiple practices in their area, only to be met with the same response:
“We’re not taking on NHS patients.”
Others are told that their only option is to go private, or to travel long distances simply to access basic dental care.
Please consider a hard working single parent in North Down struggling with tooth pain, unable to afford treatment with their child only getting treatment as a favour. This hard working single parent, who has paid all taxes. She does her job and yet NHS dentistry is no longer available to her. Or another of my constituents with a crumbled tooth told they were no longer on the NHS list and whose only option was to accept a private appointment. One could afford it – One couldn’t. One has rich oral health but the others lived reality is that rich oral health now in North Down is only available for the rich!
I would love to tell this House that this is a marginal problem affecting only a small minority. It is becoming more and more the lived reality for British families, older people and children in towns cities and rural Communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Whereas the British reality is;
Fewer practices offering NHS appointments Growing backlogs of routine check ups Increasing numbers of patients turning up at GPs at A+Es with dental pain and infection- places that were never designed for dental care
And shockingly a frightening use of people resorting to “DIY” dentistry because their pain is so great and they simply cannot afford treatment
No MP can sleep easily in 2026 when British people are pulling out their own teeth at home
Our NHS system is under pressure
So why is this happening?
Isn’t the reality that funding has not kept pace with demand or with the reality of the cost of prioritising high quality dental care
We all understand the regional differences in how dental contracts work across our UK nations however a common theme is identified; Many of our NHS dentists feel they are being asked to do more, to address complex needs with resources that simply do not match the reality on the ground.
My research indicates that, in some parts of our United Kingdom, the very way dentists are paid actively works against the long term interests of patients. The current system rewards quick, high volume work, rather than the kind of long term, preventative care that is essential if we are serious about keeping mouths in Britain healthy.
Many of our newly qualified dentists tell me that NHS contracts are inflexible, overly bureaucratic and, in many cases, financially unsustainable for anything beyond the most basic level of service.
What is the result?
I’ll tell you the result. We are seeing a growing number of dentists:
- Reducing the amount of NHS work they do.
- Handing back NHS contracts altogether.
- Leaving the profession earlier than they ever intended.
I do not, for one moment, accept that this is a question of dedication or commitment. Our dentists, dental nurses, hygienists, therapists and practice staff are putting in a hard shift, day after day, in a system that too often feels stacked against them. Their burnout is real. Their morale is low. They are left apologising to patients—not only in North Down, but right across the United Kingdom—for a system that is not of their making and not under their control.
There is a human cost here.
This must never be reduced to a dry debate about contracts and budgets. Behind every statistic is a person.
Let us think, together, of:
– The elderly person in a British care home, struggling to eat properly because they cannot get regular dental visits and their dentures no longer fit.
– The British parent trying desperately to get their child seen for a broken tooth, only to be told that their nearest NHS dentist taking patients is miles away.
– The low income British citizen—the person who never missed an NHS check up—now being told they can only be seen privately, at a fee far beyond their means.
Let me be absolutely clear: dental health is not a luxury. It is integral to our overall health and wellbeing.
The facts are stark. Poor oral health is linked to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections and complications in pregnancy. Untreated tooth decay can cause severe pain, days lost from work, days lost from school, and a serious blow to confidence and mental health.
And let us be honest: inequality runs through this story like lettering in a stick of rock. People on low incomes, and those living in our most deprived areas, are more likely to suffer the consequences of poor oral health—and less likely to be able to escape
Regrettably, the British reality in 2026 is this: children from our most deprived communities are still far more likely to be admitted to hospital for tooth extraction under a general anaesthetic—an experience that is traumatic, and in many cases entirely preventable.
I recognise that health is a devolved matter, and that the four nations of our United Kingdom have taken different approaches to organising and funding NHS dentistry.
In Wales, new contract models focused on prevention and patient centred care are being piloted. Yet, as I understand it, patients still report serious difficulties in finding an NHS dentist and securing regular check ups.
In Scotland, efforts have been made to reform the system and expand free dental care for certain groups. But workforce challenges persist, as do the difficulties of sustaining practices in rural and remote areas.
In England, some of the most acute access problems are reported. Many practices say that the current contract does not reward preventative care, nor does it adequately reflect the complexity of modern dentistry.
In Northern Ireland, we have our own contractual framework. The concerns we hear, however, are strikingly familiar: rising costs, mounting workforce pressures, and an unsustainable gap between what the NHS pays and what it actually costs to provide care.
I believe Northern Ireland is at a crossroads in NHS dentistry. We see:
- A steady erosion of NHS dental provision.
- More practices moving to private only models.
- Longer waiting times at those practices that remain in the NHS.
- Greater pressure on community dental services.
- Growing inequality between those who can pay and those who simply cannot.
But it does not have to be like this.
The lessons we draw for Northern Ireland are equally applicable across the rest of the United Kingdom.
So let us work with dentists, with patients, with commissioners and with independent experts to design a modern contract and funding model that can:
– Reward prevention and continuity of care.
– Recognise the complexity of treating people with additional needs and vulnerable groups.
– Support high street NHS practices as the backbone of accessible care.
– Provide a clear, attractive pathway for young dentists to enter—and to remain in—NHS focused practice.
This House can shape what is needed in Northern Ireland and apply those principles right across the UK.
So, in conclusion, let me underline some urgent, UK wide actions.
First
We need a realistic, sustainable funding settlement. Let us address this with honesty. If we truly desire a meaningful NHS dental offer, then this Parliament must fund it at a level that covers the real cost of care.
Second
We must move beyond temporary uplifts and crisis top ups, and design a long term settlement. That is the real question before us: are we prepared to put NHS dentistry on a stable footing, not just for this Parliament, but for the next generation?
Third
We must reform the dental contract with a new model that:
– Prioritises prevention—encouraging regular check ups, fluoride use and early intervention.
– Creates clear incentives to take on new NHS patients.
– Rewards quality, with a focus on outcomes and patient experience, not just throughput and volume.
Let us ensure that people are supported whether they live in Bangor or Basildon, Falkirk or Fermanagh, Portrush or Pontypridd.
So that:
– Children, particularly those growing up in poverty, can benefit from school and community based preventative schemes.
– People with disabilities and complex medical needs can access the specialist attention—and the longer appointments—they require.
– Our older citizens, including those in care homes, can receive routine, dignified dental care.
We also need a credible, solution focused workforce plan, including:
– Workforce planning based on real need, not short term firefighting.
– Training pathways that support and prioritise NHS service.
– Effective retention measures so that experienced staff are not driven out of the system.
So, in closing, let us make this clear:
The decline of NHS dentistry is not inevitable.
We must honestly answer these questions:
Are we prepared to drift into a future in which NHS dentistry is an optional extra, while the majority are pushed towards private care?
Or do we recommit—clearly and unambiguously—to inclusive, universal NHS dentistry, where cost is not a barrier and where your postcode does not determine your access?
Let us stop the drift—from my North Down constituency and across the UK—towards a predominantly private model that will only accelerate if we fail to act.
Let us end, once and for all, the message: “There is no NHS dentistry for you.”
The founding principle must be upheld: that NHS dental care, like any other aspect of healthcare, is available to all, not on the basis of ability to pay, but on the basis of need.
I benefited from NHS dental care in North Down. Future generations deserve more than a managed decline.
Let the United Kingdom set out a clear, credible plan to secure the future of NHS dentistry—one capable of protecting the oral health of this generation and those to come.
Small talk and sticking plasters will not do for NHS dentistry. Those approaches must be declared obsolete.
Let the UK lead in addressing this problem, and let this House reaffirm, for the whole of our country, the enduring British principle that good dental care is not a luxury, but the right and entitlement of every British citizen.
Alex Easton MP
Member of Parliament for North Down
