§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of NHS dentists by region in each year since 1995. [94316]
§ Mr. HuttonThe table sets out the number of National Health Service dentists providing treatment under the NHS in the General Dental Service, Salaried Dental Service, Hospital Dental Service and Community Dental Service by region in England at 30 September each year.
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The number of general1, salaried2, community3 and hospital dental service3 dentists by health region, England 30 September Health regions 1995 1996 1997 1998 England 19,563 19,978 20,484 21,041 Northern and Yorkshire 2,513 2,427 2,479 2,532 Trent 1,615 1,704 1,801 1,820 Anglia and Oxford 1,936 1,983 2,088 2,152 North Thames 2,997 3,097 3,286 3,406 South Thames 3,238 3,308 3,312 3,348 South and West 2,711 2,748 2,823 2,985 West Midlands 1,842 1,863 1,939 1,982 North West 2,630 2,737 2,778 2,836 1 GDS dentists include principals, assistants and vocational dental practitioners. 2 Salaried dentists are those in post as reported by HAs; 1995 figures are for the Number of contracts. 3 Dentists are counted in each region in which they work. The figures include some double counting as a dentist may practise in more than one of the dental services. This explains the apparent disparity between the sums of regions and England totals.