The critical role of MPs in advocating on dental policy
30 June 2025
Dental policy, while an historically overlooked area of health, has increasingly received focus in Parliament over recent years.
Just last month, MPs took part in a Backbench Business debate on access to NHS dentistry that attracted cross-party participation. The session provided an opportunity for MPs to raise concerns from their constituents, alongside issues impacting the sector and Denplan members such as burnout and retention, and challenges related to the “broken” NHS contract (as it was described by an MP during the debate).
We continue to see widespread debate and media stories covering issues related to accessing care, with a growing number of ‘dental deserts’ and reports of virtually no access in parts of the Cotswolds, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Our members have also expressed concern at the level of understanding within the Government of the issues facing the sector, with 91% stating in Denplan’s latest member survey that national decision-makers do not understand the dental landscape and how services are delivered.1 This is particularly evident in the lack of recognition for the mixed economy of dental care in the UK, despite the majority of practices delivering both NHS and private services.2 Without understanding this mix, policymaking risks being disconnected from the reality of how care is accessed and delivered on the ground.
It is therefore welcome that MPs are choosing to champion dental policy and, during a period of significant national and local change to the health system, calling for system improvements to help address access issues.
A visit from Dr Danny Chambers MP to a Denplan practice in Winchester
Since joining Parliament last July, Dr Danny Chambers MP has consistently highlighted access to dentistry as a pressing issue for his constituents. With residents struggling to secure appointments and dentists reducing or leaving their NHS commitments, Dr Chambers has made tackling what he calls a “crisis in care” a local priority.
In May, he visited a Denplan member practice in Winchester alongside Dr Catherine Rutland, Clinical Director at Denplan, to hear directly from the dental team. The discussion centred on the challenges of delivering NHS care under the current contract, including inflexibility, underfunding and the impact on the mental health of dental professionals – an issue close to Chambers’ heart as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Mental Health.
Chambers brought this local insight to the national stage during the recent parliamentary debate on NHS dentistry. Citing visits to two practices, he explained how dentists “want to do more NHS work, and they want to be there for their communities,” he said, but “they simply cannot make it financially viable” and are “effectively subsidising their NHS patients with income from private work.”
He warned that poor access risks missing serious conditions like oral cancer and endocarditis, adding: “dentists are not the problem - they are doing their best within a contract that is outdated and damaging.”
By taking time to listen to frontline professionals, Chambers is helping to ensure dental reform remains a live issue in Parliament and grounded in real-world experiences of Denplan’s members.
Conversations with local dentists, including Denplan’s, give us the clearest picture of what’s broken – and what needs fixing. As MPs, we must turn those insights into action to drive tangible change.
Dr Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester
Understanding challenges in dentistry at a local level
We know people living across the UK are facing challenges in accessing dental care. By listening to the experiences of constituents, professionals from across the dental workforce, and other health system representatives, such as commissioners, MPs, can both understand the real-life impact of access issues and help build a case for wide-ranging change.
The role of MPs in calling for change in Parliament
MPs have several powerful tools to push dental care up the political agenda – highlighting the critical role dentistry plays in improving the nation’s health:
MPs can begin by raising dental policy in the Parliament through oral or written parliamentary questions or by securing debates. This not only brings national attention to local challenges but pressures ministers to respond with action. By collaborating with health professionals and organisations from across the sector in advance, MPs can help build support for evidence-based proposals, such as the recommendations set out in Denplan’s 2024 white paper ‘The Future of Dentistry: Unlocking Solutions to Improving Oral Health’.
MPs sitting on the Health and Social Care Committee can carry out inquiries into issues including access and funding. Committee reports can help shape public debate and influence government policy recommendations.
Private Members’ Bills are another powerful tool. While not always passed into law, these bills can spark debate and build momentum for wider support.
This parliamentary scrutiny helps ensure that dental policy remains on the agenda of the Government and parliamentarians, and helps inform the ongoing reform agenda.
How can you help?
With oral health a critical concern for many constituents, as a Denplan member, you have an important opportunity to call on your MP to advocate for improvements.
By writing to your MP to call on them to meet with you and visit a Denplan practice, and then raise this issue in Parliament, you can help focus policymakers' minds on the urgency of this issue and the need for action as part of the Government’s ongoing reform activity. You can find out who your MP is here.
By combining local insight and on the ground experience with national action, we can work to secure a future where dental care is accessible, equitable, and fit for purpose.
Sources
Denplan (2024). Member Survey. Data on file
Denplan (2021) The Future of Dentistry. Available at: https://www.denplan.co.uk/content/dam/denplan/pdfs/blog/future-of-dentistry-denplan-white-paper-final-140421.pdf (Accessed June 2025)