§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost of providing 10 million courses of dental treatment for children under 15 years of age; and if his forward projections show any decrease in this figure.
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§ Mr. MoyleIn 1975, 7.8 million courses of treatment were provided in England for children under 15 years of age through the general dental services, at a cost of £32.4 million. On that basis, 10 million courses of treatment would cost about £41 million.
The numbers of courses of treatment have, over the years, been growing at a rate unaffected by changes in the under 15 population—from, for example, 5.8 million courses in 1970. While much depends on the effect of the Court Committee proposals I expect the numbers of courses of treatment to continue to rise. The average cost per course of treatment has almost doubled since 1970 and I cannot foresee any possibility of decrease in the future.