§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that disadvantaged groups including handicapped and elderly people and patients in long-stay homes and hospitals, including children, are enabled to receive dental care.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergApart from the general practitioner services, the hospital dental service provides routine dental treatment for long-stay patients. The community dental service is already empowered to provide treatment to adult handicapped people as well as to children and to expectant mothers, subject to their prime responsibility for school dental services. Whilst it is for health authorities to develop their services in the way most suited to local needs, we support the view of the dental strategy review group that the community dental services should play an increasing role in meeting the needs of patients in the special care groups.