HC Deb 14 February 1966 vol 724 cc904-5
11. Mr. John Hall

asked the Minister of Health what representations have been made to him that some effective and beneficial methods of preserving teeth are not available under the National Health Service because the present method of payment of general dental practitioners makes such work unremunerative; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. K. Robinson

None, Sir. I understand that a small minority of dentists are refusing to accept patients requiring certain types of treatment but the patient's remedy is to apply to another dentist.

Mr. Hall

Would not the Minister agree that many of the recent advances in dental technology are being denied to National Health Service patients because the cost of treatment makes it unremunerative for dentists to undertake it at the present scale of fees? Does not this require some action by the Minister?

Mr. Robinson

No, Sir; I would not accept the premise on which the hon. Member bases his supplementary question. To a very limited extent, there have been complaints about the fees for crowns, inlays and certain other treatments, but the question of relativity of fees for different types of treatment is currently under review between the profession and my Department in the Dental Rates Study Group.