§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of teeth of five-year-old children suffering from dental decay for(a) 1991 and (b) the most recent date for which information is available, analysed by district for England, in descending order of good health.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Department has commissioned the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to conduct surveys of the dental health of children at 10-year intervals. The most recent survey was carried out in 1993 and the report will be published later this year. Copies of previous survey reports and preliminary results of the 1993 survey are available in the Library.
Information on the dental health of five-year-old children is available from surveys by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry. Copies of the latest published report, which relates to a survey conducted in 1989–90, are available in the Library.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in respect of dentists encouraging patients to join insurance schemes to cover dental care.
§ Dr. MawhinneyWe receive correspondence from hon. Members, dentists and members of the public on many aspects of dentistry including provision of private treatment.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have left the national health service in relation to dental care, in each family health service authority covering Coventry.
§ Dr. MawhinneySome 1,676 patients were deregistered in the Coventry family health services authority area between 3 July 1992 and 18 March 1994. The number who subsequently reregistered with another general dental practitioner is not known. On 3 July 1992 the number of patients registered with a national health service dentist in Coventry was 181,371. At 31 January 1994 the total was 181,463, an increase of 92.
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§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how she is monitoring the numbers of dentists who have left the national health service(a) nationally and (b) in Coventry.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Department collects information from all family health services authorities of the number of dentists who have given written notice to remove their names from the FHSA dental lists, and of the number of dentists who deregister patients. The Dental Practice Board supplies periodic reports on the numbers of dentists in contract to the FHSAs.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review the level of dental charges(a) nationally and (b) in the Coventry area.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Government keep the level of national health service dental charges under regular review. Patient charges are determined nationally, and are not subject to local variation.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued for dentists regarding the encouragement of patients to take out private insurance schemes.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe regulations governing general dental services stipulate that a dentist shall not, with a view to obtaining the agreement of a patient to undergo care and treatment privately, advise a patient that the care and treatment which is necessary to secure and maintain his oral health is not available from that dentist under general dental services. Nor may a dentist seek to mislead a patient about the quality of care and treatment available under general dental services.