Patients across England are benefitting from millions more NHS dental appointments, with newly published figures showing 1.8 million additional dental treatments delivered in the first seven months of 2025–26 compared with the same period before the general election.
The extra capacity follows the government’s pledge to expand access to urgent dental care as part of its Get Britain Working initiative. Integrated Care Boards were asked to deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments – and have already commissioned nearly one million, in line with that commitment.
The Chief Dental Officer has advised that the current definition of “urgent” treatment is too narrow, excluding many patients experiencing severe oral health problems. At present, issues such as tooth decay, rotting teeth or worsening dental pain do not automatically qualify for urgent appointment slots.
In response, the government is broadening the target to include all dental appointments, enabling ICBs to expand capacity for children, patients with complex or serious dental needs, and those who have struggled to secure an NHS appointment.
The government expects these changes, alongside future dental contract reforms, to deliver millions more appointments overall.
All ICBs must provide accessible urgent dental care, and since April they have been commissioning additional urgent care capacity. Under the broadened scope, local areas will have the autonomy to:
- Determine which appointments best meet their community’s needs
- Repurpose or recommission services where necessary
- Expand treatment access for new patients
From April 2026, all high street dentists providing NHS services will also be required to offer a minimum number of urgent or unscheduled appointments, including for new patients, boosting overall availability.
The expansion follows concerning reports of patients resorting to DIY dentistry, including pulling out loose or painful teeth at home due to lack of access. Broadening appointment eligibility is intended to ensure that people with serious dental problems receive timely care.
The changes come alongside major public health initiatives focused on prevention, including:
- A national supervised toothbrushing programme for 3‑ to 5‑year‑olds
- Support for up to 600,000 children this year
- Distribution of more than 4 million toothbrushes and toothpastes
- Expansion of community water fluoridation schemes proven to reduce decay
Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer for England, commented:
“Widening access to include other oral health care beyond urgent care means more patients will be seen quickly and get the care they need before problems escalate.
“By working closely with government and the dental sector to bring in these changes, we are delivering on the manifesto commitment to make prevention a priority and helping people maintain good oral health.”
These programmes form part of the government’s broader 10 Year Health Plan aimed at shifting dental care from crisis response toward prevention.
With the widening of the appointment criteria and ongoing reforms to the NHS dental contract, millions more patients, especially children and those with significant dental needs, are expected to receive timely NHS dental care.
Image credit: iStock
