§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is aware that a disjunct denture was supplied at a cost of more than £200 under the National Health Service; if he will take steps to end such use of dental services; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. John Dunwoody:"Disjunct dentures" are dentures constructed as interlocking sections which are locked together after insertion in the mouth. Many of these dentures include precision attachments to abutting natural teeth. They are designed to secure maximum stability and retention and may be clinically necessary for patients with defective muscular control, e.g. epileptics and spastics. They cannot be supplied under the National Health Service without the prior approval of the Dental Estimates Board, which have given such approval in a small number of cases, none of them costing over £200. Treatment which is proper and necessary for a patient's dental fitness should not be withheld on grounds of expense.