HC Deb 23 October 2003 vol 411 cc731-2W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England have been registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [131416]

Ms Rosie Winterton

At 31 July 2003, 23.1 million patients were registered with a general dental service (GDS) dentist in England. The information is shown in the table for 30 September for the years 1994 to 2002 and for 31 July 2003.

General Dental Service: Number of persons registered with a dentist, 1994 to 2003—England
Million
At 30 September
1994 28.4
1995 27.3
1996 26.8
1997 26.8
19981 23.5
19991 23.5
20001 23.7
20011 23.6
20021 23.5
At 31 July 2003 23.1
1Registration data for these years is not comparable with earlier years due to the change in the registration period.

The registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their GDS dentist within the past 15 months. The figures also exclude patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services including dental access centres and patients who access treatment from dentists on an occasional basis.

The registration periods for adults and children were changed for new registrations from September 1996. This affected registration numbers after November 1997 and, as a result, registration numbers from December 1997 onwards, when the first 15 months registrations expired, cannot be compared with the earlier figures. Some of the reduction in recorded registration numbers is due to improvements in the methods of removing duplicate registration records which were first employed by the Dental Practice Board in 1993.

Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list for each primary care trust the number of children in the last year who have required dental treatment under a general anaesthetic; [132299]

(2) if he will list for each primary care trust the average cost of dental treatment for children requiring a general anaesthetic in the last year. [132300]

Ms Rosie Winterton

This information is not held centrally. Since January 2002, all national health service dental treatment under general anaesthesia has been carried out in a hospital setting. Information on dental treatment for children carried out in NHS hospitals does not identify where general anaesthesia has been used, nor the cost per case.