Dental Treatment (Hansard, 26 April 1996)

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning local reduced availability of NHS dental treatment; and if he will make a statement. [26979]

§ Mr. Malone
We receive letters from hon. Members and from the public about access to general dental services. Health authorities can advise patients on where best to seek national health service dental treatment locally.

§ Mr. Eastham
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out in descending order, by health authority in England, the incidence of(a) dental caries in five-year-olds, (b) adults with no natural teeth and (c) oral cancer. [26891]

§ Mr. Malone
The table shows the latest information on the incidence of oral cancer in each of the former regional health authorities in descending order. Information on dental caries in five-year-olds and adults with no natural teeth is not available in the form requested. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) on 16 February at column737, for information on the mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth of five-year-old children in each health authority in 1993–94.

Provisional crude rates and numbers or oral cancers¹diagnosed in 1990 in England and Wales

Regional Health Authority (as at 1990) Rate per 100,000 Number

Mersey 7.76 187

North Western 7.08 283

Northern 6.25 193

Yorkshire 6.20 227

Wales 5.84 168

East Anglian 5.63 116

Wessex 5.61 166

South East Thames 5.29 195

West Midlands 4.97 261

Trent 4.79 225

North West Thames 4.72 168

Oxford 4.55 116

South West Thames 4.54 137

South Western 4.26 140

North East Thames 3.98 150

Total 5.37 2,732

¹ Oral cancer is defined as: cancer of the lip (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, 140), tongue (ICD9 141), gum (ICD9 143), floor of the mouth (ICD9 145), unspecified parts of the mouth (ICD9 145), oropharynx (ICD9 146), nasopharynx (ICD9 147), and hypopharynx (ICD9 148). Cancers of the salivary glands (ICD9 142) have been excluded as they are not normally grouped with oral cancers.

Provisional crude rates and numbers or oral cancers¹diagnosed in 1990 in England and Wales
Regional Health Authority (as at 1990)	Rate per 100,000	Number
Mersey	7.76	187
North Western	7.08	283
Northern	6.25	193
Yorkshire	6.20	227
Wales	5.84	168
East Anglian	5.63	116
Wessex	5.61	166
South East Thames	5.29	195
West Midlands	4.97	261
Trent	4.79	225
North West Thames	4.72	168
Oxford	4.55	116
South West Thames	4.54	137
South Western	4.26	140
North East Thames	3.98	150
Total	5.37	2,732
¹ Oral cancer is defined as: cancer of the lip (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, 140), tongue (ICD9 141), gum (ICD9 143), floor of the mouth (ICD9 145), unspecified parts of the mouth (ICD9 145), oropharynx (ICD9 146), nasopharynx (ICD9 147), and hypopharynx (ICD9 148). Cancers of the salivary glands (ICD9 142) have been excluded as they are not normally grouped with oral cancers.