CARE Minister Stephen Kinnock and Chief Dental Officer Jason Wong have been challenged by West Somerset MP Rachel Gilmour about the state of local NHS dentistry.

Mrs Gilmour attended a roundtable session in Parliament where she posed questions to the Minister and dental officer about current issues and concerns.

Shocking new statistics from the House of Commons Library showed over the 10 years from 2015 to 2025, there was a 30 per cent fall in the percentage of Somerset adults who had seen a dentist in the previous two years, now standing at little more than one-quarter.

Devon saw a 16 per cent drop to 39 per cent.

Mrs Gilmour, who has been campaigning for improvements to the NHS dental contract and wider public dentistry funding, last year joined a call by the British Dental Association for an increase in the NHS budget for dentistry.

Mrs Gilmour said: “Following a significant amount of casework from both West Somerset and Mid Devon, this was a fantastic opportunity to reiterate to the Minister some of the ongoing challenges facing our communities.

“At the meeting, it was also good to hear more about NHS dental reforms, and how improvements can be made to a system that I know causes such frustration to my constituents.

“Improving access to local NHS dentistry is still very much a priority for me and my team.

“The recent statistics are extremely concerning, and this shows the extent of the challenges in rural constituencies like ours.

“I will continue to call for action in Parliament, and I welcome the consultation about the fundamentals of NHS dental contract reform, which is set to open later this year.

“It is good the Government is finally showing signs of understanding more must be done to improve provision in Somerset and Devon.”