ACCESS to NHS dentistry is an issue I hear about a lot. On the doorstep and in my inbox, constituents tell me how difficult it is to get appointments and afford the care they need. For many, routine check-ups are no longer possible because local NHS dentists cannot take on new patients.

Cornwall has become a dental desert. In 2024, every NHS practice in Cornwall was closed to new adult patients, and under 30 per cent of adults have seen a dentist in the last two years. This reflects regional health inequality and a lack of access to basic care.

Nationally, morale is low, with more than six in 10 NHS dentists in England considering leaving the NHS. As a rural and coastal area, we also face the challenge of attracting and keeping dental professionals. The number of dentists in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has fallen dramatically, and every practice reports recruitment difficulties for all staff.

We need to make the NHS a place where dental professionals choose to build their careers. The “golden hello” scheme is a step in the right direction, and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB has invested £188,000 in 11 posts across the area.

Alongside this, we need to train more dentists. During a recent visit to the Peninsula Dental School at Treliske, I heard how they want to expand their intake from 58 to 72 students per year to meet demand and bring the region in line with the national average. As part of the University of Plymouth, students provide free dental care in Truro while training, providing essential treatment and community outreach. Training more dentists locally gives us a better chance of keeping dentists in Cornwall. While national plans to increase dental school places are welcome, I want Peninsula to be included in the next wave.

There is a recognition that the current dental contract is flawed. The system is based on Units of Dental Activity (UDAs), which effectively cap the number of patients dentists can see. If they exceed that cap, they are not paid for the extra work; if they under-deliver, money is clawed back. In Cornwall, only around two-thirds of UDAs are delivered, leading to millions being returned, money that could otherwise be used to treat patients.

Changes introduced from April 2026 begin to address this, including an improved rate for a level of urgent care and new pathways for higher-needs patients and more clinically complex cases. Locally, Cornwall’s ICB has introduced incentives to encourage practices to hit a certain percentage of their target, reducing the amount of money that needs to be returned. A public consultation on further reform is also expected this summer.

There has also been other progress to tackle the acute dental need in Cornwall. Since July last year, a dental van run with Smile Together has been providing care to veterans, fishing communities and those waiting for urgent treatment. The government’s supervised toothbrushing scheme has already reached up to three quarters of the schools in Cornwall.