§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is planning to introduce a vocational training course for general dental practitioners.
§ Mr. EnnalsFor dentists, a substantial element of vocational training is included in the undergraduate course. Postgraduate training courses specifically designed to assist general dental practitioners in the provision of general dental services are already arranged by Postgraduate Dental Deans of Universities and funded by my Department.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list the tasks which may be performed by dental auxiliaries.
§ Mr. EnnalsThe Ancillary Dental Workers Regulations 1968, as amended by the Ancillary Dental Workers (Amendment) Regulations 1974, permit a dental auxiliary to carry out, under the direction and on the written instructions of a registered dentist, dental work, amounting to the practice of dentistry, of the following kinds:
284W but not to carry out dental work amounting to the practice of dentistry of any other kind.
- (a) extracting deciduous teeth under local infiltration anaethesia;
- (b) undertaking simple dental fillings;
- (c) cleaning and polishing teeth;
- (d) scaling teeth;
- (e) the application to the teeth of such prophylactic materials as the General Dental Council may from time to time determine;
- (f) giving advice necessary to the proper performance of the above work and particularly on matters of oral hygiene;
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to promote the practice of preventive dentistry within the National Health Service.
§ Mr. EnnalsI would refer the right hon. Member to my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) on 25th May.—[Vol. 912, c.98–9.]
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the practice of preventive dentistry such as the administering of fluoride, the sealing of fissures and the teaching of plaque control, is allowed within the community dental services.
§ Mr. EnnalsHealth authorities may undertake these measures within the community dental services. I understand that a number of authorities do, but that in some cases the application of certain techniques is restricted to particular groups of patients.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he plans to earmark resources, in addition to the £0.5 million per year for fluoridation, to encourage local authorities to promote dental health, including the extension of dental health education in schools.
§ Mr. EnnalsHealth education within the school curriculum is the responsibility of local education authorities and it would not be appropriate to earmark NHS funds to meet the cost. Dental staff employed by health authorities do, however, undertake dental health education as part of the dental care of children in maintained schools, and the cost of this is met from their normal resource allocation.
§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how his Department and the Dental Estimates Board establish the national average standard to which all National Health Service dentists should conform.
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§ Mr. EnnalsEvery dentist providing general dental services is obliged by his terms of service to provide the treatment necessary to secure dental fitness for any patient he accepts for a course of National Health Service treatment. Dental fitness, as defined in the National Health Service (General Dental Services) Regulations 1973,
means such a reasonable standard of dental efficiency and oral health as is necessary to safeguard general health".