The Oral Health Foundation has welcomed a new government announcement confirming that young people leaving care will be entitled to free NHS dental care, prescriptions and eye tests up to their 25th birthday.
The new measures aim to reduce health inequalities faced by care leavers, who are more likely to experience poor oral health and face barriers to accessing dental services once statutory support ends at 18. The policy is part of a wider package designed to improve health outcomes and life chances for young people transitioning out of care.
Access to dental care remains a significant challenge for many care leavers, with cost, uncertainty around entitlement and difficulty registering with a dentist often leading to untreated dental problems and avoidable pain. Extending free dental care is intended to remove one of the key obstacles to early intervention.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, says: “This is about dignity as much as dentistry. Extending free dental care to 25 is a hugely positive step for young people leaving care, many of whom have grown up facing real barriers to accessing dental services at a critical time in their lives. It removes a barrier that never should have existed and recognises the heightened risk of poor oral health among care leavers.
“The priority now is making sure this commitment translates into real access on the ground, so every eligible young person can actually secure the care they need as they build independent lives.”
The charity has stressed that successful delivery will depend on clear communication, consistent local implementation and sufficient NHS dental capacity, so that care leavers can access appointments in practice as well as in policy.
