§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report details showing the extent of dental disease in each of the 290W member countries of the European Economic Community, and showing Scotland's figures as separate from the remainder of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Harry EwingThe generally accepted international standard of dental disease is the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth, but though this has been used in local surveys in many countries national statistics on this basis are not available for the member countries of the European Economic Community or within the United Kingdom. Another indicator of the extent of dental disease within a country is the proportion of the adult population that is without natural teeth. A report for 1972 revealed that in Scotland 44 per cent. of all adults have lost their natural teeth, whereas a comparable study had shown the figure to be 37 per cent. for England and Wales. Corresponding figures are not available for the other countries in the European Economic Community.