Labour plans to improve the nation's oral health with an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments and supervised toothbrushing in schools across England.
Under a package of proposals aimed at “rescuing NHS dentistry”, people most in need of treatments including fillings and root canals would be prioritised.
A programme to help three to five-year-olds form healthy brushing habits in a bid to tackle preventable tooth decay in children has also been proposed by the party.
The plans would be backed by £111 million ($135 million) a year, which Labour said would come from abolishing the non-dom tax status.
Scrapping the regime is how the party proposes to fund the largest-ever workforce expansion of the NHS if it wins the general election expected next year.
Incentives would be offered for new dentists to work in underserved areas under the proposals to tackle so-called dental deserts – areas of the country with less access to services.
In his first policy announcement ahead of the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, leader Keir Starmer said a Labour government would “do more than fix the basics” by also overhauling the NHS dental contract to change how the service worked in the long term.
“People are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need one, with appalling consequences. Horror stories of DIY dentistry are too frequent,” he said.
“My Labour government will not stand for millions of people being denied basic health care. To rescue dentistry from the immediate crisis, we will provide 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need, recruit more dentists to areas with the most severe shortages and protect children’s teeth.
“But my mission-led government will always do more than fix the basics. We will reform the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run, so NHS dentistry is there for all who need it.”
Keir Starmer – in pictures
It comes after a report by the Health and Social Care Committee, published in July, which indicated more people were pulling out their own teeth at home as they did not have easy access to NHS services.
The review included a YouGov poll of 2,104 people across the UK conducted in March 2023, in which 10 per cent admitted to attempting “DIY dentistry”.
Experts have called for urgent change to NHS dentistry after figures revealed the number of patients being seen remained well below pre-pandemic levels.
Data published by NHS Digital revealed 18.1 million adults in England were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months leading up to June 2023 compared with 21.9 million in June 2019.
The government has launched a consultation on how delays could be improved, including a proposal to grant dental hygienists the power to administer certain medicines without the need for a prescription.
But its long-awaited dental recovery plan, which aims to improve access and increase the number of NHS dentists, has not yet been published.
Claire Stevens, spokeswoman for the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry. welcomed Labour’s proposals, saying: “This is a serious plan to both grip the immediate crisis and set NHS dentistry on the path to recovery in the long-term.”
Chris Groombridge, chairman of the charity Teeth Team, added: “As a charity dedicated to providing dental education in schools, we all too often see tooth decay which is largely preventable.
“We therefore welcome Labour’s commitment to a toothbrushing programme for three to five-year-olds to help them form healthy habits and protect kids’ teeth.”
Shawn Charlwood, chairman of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: “We’re seeing patients in pain reach for pliers because of choices made in Westminster … Labour has recognised the scale of this crisis.
“NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread, and every party has a moral responsibility to set out a plan.”
The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Volvo ES90 Specs
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
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- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
More coverage from the Future Forum
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Specs
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
