§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many courses of dental treatment were carried out under the National Health Service in Scotland on 18 to 21-year-olds; what were the figures for each of the past five years: and what expert advice he has received on the likely effect of the imposition of charges for dental treatment on the above age group in view of the fact that tooth enamel does not harden until 21 years of age.
§ Mr. FairgrieveInformation on treatment by age group is not available in the form requested, but the number of patients who received dental treatment under the NHS in the age band 16–20 years over the most recent available five-year period was as follows:
Number of Patients 1980 349,467 1979 338,680 1978 341,374 1977 329,017 1976 317,867 It was represented to the Government by the British Dental Association that the imposition of charges for dental treatment on all those over 16 who were no longer at school would be particularly damaging to the dental health of 16 and 17-year-olds, and we accepted that all young people should be exempt from these charges until they reached age 18. The professional advice we have received is that the arguments are less appropriate to those aged 18 and over.