The 700,000 additional dental appointments promised by the government will now apply to a broader scope of cases, following criticism of the limited amount considered ‘urgent’.
In February 2025, the government announced that 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments would be rolled out across England. However, chief dental officer (CDO) for England Jason Wong said the scope of these appointments was too narrow, limiting cases to the clinical definition of ‘urgent’.
Many patients with serious oral health problems such as severe tooth decay would not have been eligible for an urgent appointment.
Following this criticism, the government is now broadening the scope of the target to include all dental appointments.
‘We’re acting to rectify this absurd situation’
Minister for health Stephen Kinnock said: ‘Nobody should be pushed to such a state of desperation that they’re forced to pull their own teeth out, but there are far too many cases of this happening and it’s totally unacceptable.
‘The idea that a patient in this terrible position may not qualify for an “urgent” appointment is clearly nonsensical, so we’re acting to rectify this absurd situation.
‘Thanks to the changes we’re making millions more appointments will be delivered this year, with children and those in the greatest need benefiting most. After more than a decade of decline, we’re putting NHS dentistry on the road to recovery.’
What effect are the 700,000 new dental appointments already having?
Newly-release data suggests that the NHS delivered an extra 1.8 million courses of dental treatment in the first seven months of 2025-26 compared to the year leading up to the general election.
The government said that the new wider scope alongside reform of the NHS dental contract would lead to millions more appointments being delivered.
Jason Wong said: ‘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.’
‘We need a response proportionate to the challenges we face’
Expert representatives of the dental profession celebrated the success in increasing the amount of dental treatment delivered, but encouraged further action to improve access.
Shiv Pabary, chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: ‘This uptick in activity is progress, and reflects the commitment of thousands of dentists who have continued to deliver NHS care against all odds.
‘But millions are still going without care. After years of savage cuts, ending this crisis will hinge on promised reform being backed by sustainable funding.
‘The government must build on this progress with urgency and ambition. To give NHS dentistry a future, we need a response proportionate to the challenges we face.’
‘We need to come together now as a profession to support this intervention’
Association of Dental Groups executive chair Neil Carmichael also commended to move to broaden the appointments’ scope.
He said: ‘The progress made in the delivery of dental appointments is fantastic to hear. The Association of Dental Groups has been aware since the announcement of the 700,000 urgent appointments that some patients have been struggling to understand what was meant by the definition of “urgent treatment”, so these efforts to provide clarification will be welcomed by our members.
‘We need to come together now as a profession to support this intervention to succeed, and the ADG recommends that integrated care boards should act quickly now to implement these changes in their local areas, so patients benefit.
‘We must also address the issue that we will not meet patients’ needs until we increase the dental workforce. Currently the gap in our dental teams is massive.’
‘We need to push harder’
Dr Oosh Devalia, president of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), agreed that the progress was ‘just the first step’. She said: ‘BSPD welcomes the fact that more children and young people are now able to see a dentist when they have an urgent dental need.
‘However, this is just the first step in rebuilding dental services. We must now expand routine access and double down on preventive efforts to reduce the number of children experiencing dental decay in the first place.’
She concluded: ‘We need to push harder to ensure that every child has the oral healthcare they deserve.’
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