National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the concerns that are regularly raised by Members of the Senedd about the lack of NHS dental services.

2. Notes the barriers documented and the recommendations made as to the way forward in the Health and Social Care Committee’s report on dentistry.

3. Notes the specific challenges associated with planning, training, recruiting and retaining dentists in Wales.

4. Notes the publication of the Dental Strategic Workforce Plan by Health Education and Improvement Wales and the references made, within that plan, namely:

a) Wales is a net importer of dentists;

b) Wales relies on schools of dentistry beyond Wales to produce enough dentists to recruit into the workforce; and

c) the United Kingdom has the lowest number of dentists per person compared with other large members of the G7 in Europe.

5. Notes that the number of places at the only school of dentistry in Wales is limited each year.

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to increase the number of university training places for dentists in Wales.

Dental Strategic Workforce Plan