Mr. Wellsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average number of patients examined by the dental officers in her Department per dentist in the last period for which figures are available; whether that number is related to the number of patients seen by the dentist; what is the method of selecting these patients; and whether there are regional variations.
§ Dr. OwenAbout 2.5 per dentist in 1973. While most of the patients examined are chosen at random by the Dental Estimates Board, some are selec-128W ted because there are unusual aspects in the treatment given or proposed. The number of examinations is not related to the number of patients seen by the dentist and the average is susceptible to some regional variation.