Dorset MP launches petition after £17m taken away from local dentistry budget

Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade has launched a public petition calling for legal protections to ensure NHS dentistry funding is spent on dental services, after £17 million from Dorset's dentistry budget was returned or reallocated over the last two years.

Backed by a public petition, the campaign would require Integrated Care Boards to spend the entirety of their ringfenced NHS dentistry budgets on NHS dental services.

The campaign comes as access to NHS dentistry remains one of the biggest concerns raised by Dorset residents. In Vikki Slade's 2025 Health Survey, dentistry was among the top issues identified by constituents. Despite growing demand, only half of Dorset's children have seen an NHS dentist in the last year, while tooth decay remains a leading cause of hospital admissions among young children.

Vikki Slade MP said:

“One of the issues I hear about most often is how difficult it has become to find an NHS dentist.”

“Across Dorset, families are struggling to get routine appointments, children are missing out on vital check-ups, and many people are travelling miles for treatment.”

“Yet over the last two years, £17 million allocated to dentistry in Dorset has been returned or spent elsewhere.”

“Local people rightly expect money set aside for dental care to be spent on dental care. At a time when NHS dentistry is facing a crisis, we cannot afford to let funding slip away from frontline services.”

"This petition is about helping restore access to NHS dentistry for residents across Dorset."

The petition follows growing concern about the state of NHS dentistry in the county. The British Dental Association has confirmed that 44 dentists have handed back NHS contracts in Dorset since 2020, with no new NHS contracts awarded to replace them. In some parts of the county there is no NHS dental practice at all.

Those wishing to support the campaign can sign the petition here: Properly Fund Dentistry Petition