Dentists (Hansard, 6 July 1992)

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to accredit dental laboratories.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
The Government support the concept of self-regulation and independent accreditation. We have no present plans to accredit dental laboratories.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Government have made of how much of the funds paid to dentists for laboratory fees is actually paid over to laboratories.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
Fees for treatments which require dental laboratory work include an element estimated to be the average cost to dentists of commissioning such work. It is then for individual dentists to agree prices directly with laboratories.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will make a statement on the performance of Denplan.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
Denplan is a private health insurance scheme. Private arrangements are a matter for dentists and their patients. All the treatment which is necessary to secure and maintain oral health is available under the national health service.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Government have made of the insurance-based dental services provided in Germany and Italy.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
None.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will require all dental laboratories to conform to British Standard 5750.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
We have no plans to do so.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider direct payments from the national health service to dental laboratories instead of funds going through dentists' accounts.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
We have no present plans to do this. This is an issue which could arise in the proposed fundamental review into the whole system of dentists' remuneration.

§ Mr. Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to replace current dentistry arrangements with a state-funded insurance system.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
None.

§ Mr. Milburn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the number of dentists and the number of courses of treatment in(a) Darlington and (b) County Durham in each year since 1987–88.
72W

§ Dr. Mawhinney
The information requested about Darlington is not routinely available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost for each of the five years requested. The table shows the number of general dental practitioners and the number of courses of dental treatment given in Durham family health services authority in each of the five financial years from 1987–88 to 1991–92.

Durham Family Health Services Authority

Financial year Number of dentists¹ Courses of treatment²³

Children Adults All patients

1987–88 164 115,260 223,100 338,360

1988–89 162 116,170 237,890 354,060

1989–90 162 116,450 228,410 344,860

1990–91 172 97,150 232,760 329,910

1991–92 168 42,430 257,090 299,520

¹ As at 30 September in each year, including all principal dentists and their assistants on Durham FHSA's dental list. The figures quoted are those numbers of dentists who provided the courses of treatment shown. Some of these dentists will also be on the dental lists of other family health services authorities.

² The numbers of courses of treatment have been taken from a 5 per cent, sample and rounded to the nearest 10.

³ The apparent decline in the number of courses of treatment to children is misleading. Under the new dental contract from 1 October 1990, most treatment to children is given under capitation arrangements under which it is not possible to monitor all treatment to children.

§ Mr. Milburn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics she has for the dental health of the population of(a) Darlington, (b) County Durham and (c) the national average.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
Statistics on dental health are not collected centrally for district health authorities or counties. Information on decayed, missing and filled teeth (DM FT) among 5, 12 and 14-year-old children in Darlington is available from surveys collated by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.In 1990–91, 358 14-year-olds were examined in Darlington.

The mean number of decayed teeth was 0.54.

The mean number of missing teeth was 0.36.

The mean number of filled teeth was 1.59.

The average DMFT was 2.49.

71 per cent. had evidence of caries experience and 23 per cent. had active decay.
In 1989–90, 215 5-year-olds were examined in Darlington.

The mean number of decayed teeth was 1.01.

The mean number of missing teeth was 0.42.

The mean number of filled teeth was 0.28.

The average DMFT was 1.71.

43 per cent. had evidence of caries experience and 33 per cent. had active decay.

In 1988–89, 271 12-year-olds were examined in Darlington.

The mean number of decayed teeth was 0.18.

The mean number of missing teeth was 0.22.

The mean number of filled teeth was 0.99.

The average DMFT was 1.39.

52 per cent. had evidence of caries experience.

The latest figures available for United Kingdom are from the child dental health survey of 1983 and the adult dental health survey of 1988. In 1983, the average number of decayed or filled deciduous teeth for five-year-olds was 1.8. The average number of decayed, missing and filled teeth for 12 and 15-year-olds was respectively 3.1 and 5.9 permanent teeth. In 1988, 79 per cent. of adults had some natural teeth. Among dentate adults in the United Kingdom, the average number of missing teeth was 7.8, decayed or unsound teeth, 1.0 and filled teeth 8.4.
73W

§ Mr. Milburn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average earnings of dentists have been(a) in Darlington, (b) in County Durham, (c) in the northern region and (d) in England and Wales in each year since 1987–88, at current and 1987–88 prices.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
The information requested about Darlington is not routinely available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The tables show the average gross fee earnings of general dental practitioners in Durham family health services authority, Northern regional health authority, and England and Wales in each of the five financial years from 1987–88 to 1991–92, at current and at 1987–88 prices.

Average gross fee earnings per dentist

Financial year Durham FHSA (£) Northern region (£) England and Wales (£)

Actual prices

1987–88 56,434 56,476 55,971

1988–89 65,134 64,725 64,377

1989–90 69,996 65,143 64.008

1990–91 81,798 73,794 70.410

1991–92 100,527 89,483 84.833

1987–88 prices

1987–88 56,434 56,476 55.971

1988–89 60,744 60,363 60.038

1989–90 61,247 57,000 56.007

1990–91 66,158 59,685 56,948

1991–92 75,988 67,640 64,125

Note: These averages relate only to earnings through fees by dentists in the population group of the Dental Rates Study Group. They exclude maternity payments, sickness payments, postgraduate education allowances and other such allowances; and they relate only to dentists who, for the year in question, were in contract for the complete financial year.

§ Mr. Milburn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have withdrawn from the NHS since October 1990(a) in Darlington, (b) in County Durham and (c) in the northern region.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
The information requested is not available. The number of dentists on the dental list of Durham family health services authority (FHSA), and the number on dental lists in the Northern region (RHA), at 30 September 1990 and at 31 March 1992 (the latest available figures) are shown in the table. Information on the number of general dental practitioners in Darlington district health authority is not routinely collected and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Number of dentists

30 September 31 March

1990 1992

Durham FHSA 144 146

Northern RHA 869 897

Durham Family Health Services Authority
Financial year	Number of dentists¹	Courses of treatment²³
		Children	Adults	All patients
1987–88	164	115,260	223,100	338,360
1988–89	162	116,170	237,890	354,060
1989–90	162	116,450	228,410	344,860
1990–91	172	97,150	232,760	329,910
1991–92	168	42,430	257,090	299,520
¹ As at 30 September in each year, including all principal dentists and their assistants on Durham FHSA's dental list. The figures quoted are those numbers of dentists who provided the courses of treatment shown. Some of these dentists will also be on the dental lists of other family health services authorities.
² The numbers of courses of treatment have been taken from a 5 per cent, sample and rounded to the nearest 10.
³ The apparent decline in the number of courses of treatment to children is misleading. Under the new dental contract from 1 October 1990, most treatment to children is given under capitation arrangements under which it is not possible to monitor all treatment to children.

Average gross fee earnings per dentist
Financial year	Durham FHSA (£)	Northern region (£)	England and Wales (£)
Actual prices
1987–88	56,434	56,476	55,971
1988–89	65,134	64,725	64,377
1989–90	69,996	65,143	64.008
1990–91	81,798	73,794	70.410
1991–92	100,527	89,483	84.833
1987–88 prices
1987–88	56,434	56,476	55.971
1988–89	60,744	60,363	60.038
1989–90	61,247	57,000	56.007
1990–91	66,158	59,685	56,948
1991–92	75,988	67,640	64,125

	Number of dentists
	30 September	31 March
	1990	1992
Durham FHSA	144	146
Northern RHA	869	897