§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he has any plans to increase the number of dentists employed in the community dental service in Wales;
(2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that there will be no reductions in the number of dental practitioners employed in the community dental service in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettManpower levels in the community dental service are for local district health authorities to determine, taking into account the advice issued by the Department in its circular WHC(89)28 "The Future Development of the Community Dental Services".
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales on which dates he met representatives of the community dental service in Wales in the last 12 months; and what items were on the agenda.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettMy right hon. Friend has not met representatives of the community dental service in Wales in the last 12 months. I met the Welsh dental sub-committee of the British Dental Association in May. 627W The Department's chief dental officer regularly meets health authority directors of dental public health/chief administrative dental officers and agreement has been reached on the contents of their annual reports for assessment of need. Consideration is currently being given to health gain indicators and performance indicators for community clinical dental services.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many health authorities in Wales include a community dental service that currently provides domiciliary treatment for elderly people employing state-of-the-art dental equipment.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettAll health authorities in Wales provide a community dental service which is able to provide domiciliary treatment for elderly people employing state of the art dental equipment. A total of £126,000 was made available earlier this year by the Welsh Office to district health authorities for the purchase of equipment for the treatment of patients with special needs including age-related infirmity.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will initiate a scheme for free dental examinations for all elderly people in Wales to screen for oral cancer.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettWe are awaiting the report of a Welsh dental committee working party of oro-facial cancer which was set up in the spring of this year and is due to report in the autumn. Its recommendations will be considered in due course.
We are also making £60,000 of supplementary funding available to the Health Promotion Authority for Wales over two years to carry out a project intended to raise knowledge and awareness among primary health care professionals concerning early detection of oral cancers and encouraging the general public to take preventive measures.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will limit the provision of domiciliary dental services for the elderly to the community dental service.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettNo. To do so would infringe a patient's right to seek treatment with the clinician of their choice.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what studies have been undertaken to examine the possible existence of a casual link between malnutrition in the elderly population of Wales and badly fitting dentures.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettDetails of studies such as this are not maintained centrally by Health Departments.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in theOfficial Report for the latest available date for each health authority area in Wales the percentage of residents of private registered nursing homes who have an annual dental screening visit from the community dental service.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettThese figures are not held centrally.