HC Deb 14 January 2004 vol 416 cc798-801W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) principal and (b) assistant dentists there were in (i) England, (ii) each NHS region and (iii) each strategic health authority who (A) offered NHS treatment and (B) had vacancies for NHS patients, in each of the last five years. [146218]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The number of dentists providing general dental services dentistry in September in each of the years 1999 to 2003 is shown in table 1, separately for principal dentists and for dental assistants. The figures given prior to 2002 are derived from the old health authority areas.

Information on dentists taking on new national health service patients is available on the www.nhs.uk/web-site. The number of dentists accepting new NHS patients on 4 December 2003 is shown in table 2 for three main patient categories. This information is not available separately for principals and assistants. Earlier information is not available.

Table 1: Number of general dental service dentists in England by region and strategic health authority for September 1999 to 2003
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Surrey and Sussex 1,025 1,050 1,081 1,080 1,009
Thames Valley 749 768 782 783 829
Trent 716 717 716 725 859
West Yorkshire 657 649 674 685 726
Assistant Dentists
Region
England 1,042 1,151 1,274 1,366 1,312
Northern and Yorkshire 54 59 68
Trent 61 66 88
West Midlands 69 57 88
North West 95 76 98
Eastern 178 290 253
London 272 269 295
South East 211 223 273
South and West 102 111 133
Strategic health authority
Avon. Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 52 68 67 65 67
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 44 105 84 92 43
Birmingham and The Black Country 27 29 41 43 67
Cheshire and Merseyside 42 30 43 41 52
County Durham and Tees Valley 10 7 12 10 16
Coventry, Warks, Herefordshire and Worcs. 18 14 24 22 44
Cumbria and Lancashire 28 24 29 30 44
Dorset and Somerset 22 18 30 37 39
Essex 53 57 52 58 56
Greater Manchester 27 25 31 34 41
Hampshire and Isle Of Wight 66 44 64 71 38
Kent and Medway 35 50 53 66 76
Leics, Northants and Rutland 14 17 19 19 52
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 81 128 117 125 107
North and East Yorkshire and N. Lincs 18 20 15 15 29
North Central London 46 69 51 53 19
North East London 82 52 60 61 60
North West London 67 64 83 77 52
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 10 8 8 14 21
Shropshire and Staffordshire 24 14 23 16 22
South East London 43 38 45 40 47
South West London 34 46 56 54 10
South West Peninsula 28 25 36 43 37
South Yorkshire 14 12 16 19 31
Surrey and Sussex 50 64 79 82 74
Thames Valley 51 53 69 79 56
Trent 38 45 53 74 67
West Yorkshire 18 25 36 26 45

Note:

Assistant dentist numbers do not include VDP's (vocational dental practitioners).

Table 2: Number of general dental service dentists recorded on NHS. UK as accepting new NHS patients by strategic health authority on 4 December 2003.
Strategic Health Authority Charge paying adults Charge exempt adults Children
Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 71 103 146
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 455 537 650
Birmingham and the Black Country 469 506 552
Cheshire and Merseyside 571 616 756
County Durham and Tees Valley 375 384 412
Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcesters ire 197 200 270
Cumbria and Lancashire 102 212 102
Dorset and Somerset 61 60 81
Essex 325 325 436
Greater Manchester 450 430 574
Hampshire and Isle Of Wight 69 103 184
Kent and Medway 173 233 313
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 167 164 184
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 413 437 543
North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 127 156 191
North Central London 390 392 486
North East London 267 294 252

Table 2: Number of general dental service dentists recorded on NHS. UK as accepting new NHS patients by strategic health authority on 4 December 2003.
Strategic Health Authority Charge paying adults Charge exempt adults Children
North West London 369 465 568
Northumberland, Tyne And Wear 468 456 479
Shropshire and Staffordshire 67 85 159
South East London 406 529 586
South West London 260 323 382
South West Peninsula 84 41 130
South Yorkshire 250 202 288
Surrey and Sussex 362 455 689
Thames Valley 246 302 449
Trent 435 461 526
West Yorkshire 294 359 390

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged(a) 17 years or under and (b) 18 years or over were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) England, (ii) each NHS region and (iii) each strategic health authority in each of the last five years; and what proportion each represents of the relevant age group. [146219]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The information showing the number of people and the percentage of the population registered with a general dental service dentist by national health service region and strategic health authority at 30 September for each of the last five years, has been placed in the Library. The figures given prior to 2002 are derived from the old health authority areas. Following reorganisation, figures for NHS regions are not available from September 2002 onwards.

Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their dentist within the past 15 months. The figures also exclude patients who receive dental treatment from other NHS dental services including dental access centres and those patients who choose not to register and who seek treatment on an occasional basis.