§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in 1979 gave treatment under the NHS; and what is the number now.
§ Mr. DorrellThe information requested is shown in the table.
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Number of dentists in England1 General dental services Hospital dental services Community dental services2 30 September 1979 12,146 1,152 1,995 30 September 1990 15,480 1,244 1,577 30 June 1991 15,448 n/a n/a 1 The figures shown are the latest available; those for hospital and community dentists represent numbers of staff and not necessarily those giving treatment. 2 In 1989, the role of the Community Dental Services was reviewed. As a result, it is now the practice for the General Dental Services, rather than the Community Dental Services, to provide routine treatment for healthy school children.
§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for the six forms of dental treatment most often given as well as dental examinations(a) the charges for such treatment in 1979, (b) the level of the charges if they had been increased in line with inflation since then and (c) the current charges.
§ Mr. DorrellThese comparisons are not possible because of changes to the structure of the charging system. In 1979 patients paid the full cost up to £5 for routine treatments, with higher costs for others.
The current charges for dental examinations as at 1 July 1991 are £3.75, £5.25 and £12, depending on the complexity of the examination.
The six most common adult treatments, excluding examinations, are given in the table with the current patient charge as at 1 July 1991:
£ Normal scaling and polishing 6.00 One mesio-occlusal or disto-occlusal filling 7.95 Composite/Synthetic Resin one filling 7.65 Amalgam one surface 4.05 Two films radiographic examination and report 2.55 One mesio-occlusal-distal filling 10.50
§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those areas in England where there is a shortage of dentists giving NHS treatment.
§ Mr. DorrellIn January 1991, a survey of family health services authorities provided no evidence of areas in England where there is a shortage of dentists giving NHS treatment. We are currently analysing the results of a more recent sample survey of dentists providing NHS treatment.