Fewer children seen than in 2006
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- Published: Saturday, 17 December 2011 20:15
- Written by News Editor
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Some 26,000 fewer children are now seen by an NHS dentist than in 2004/06, despite a rise in the overall number of people paying a visit, according to the latest report from the NHS Information Centre. Other findings include a rise in the use of fluoride varnish, exempts having more Band 3 treatments than charge payers and more female dentists working in the NHS. |
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Data for England reveals 29.2 million people (56.3% of the entire population) were seen by an NHS dentist in the two years to June 2011, a rise of one million on the two years to March 2006 (55.8%).
But while the number of children seen has risen over the past three years, there are still fewer child visits than before a new dental contract was introduced in 2006. Some 7.8 million children were seen by an NHS dentist in the two years to June, a 26,000 drop (0.3%) on the two years to March 2006.
The report also shows the number of children receiving a fluoride varnish with their treatment has jumped in the last year. Its incidence accounted for almost 850,000 treatments (8.1% of all child treatments included a fluoride varnish) in 2010/11, up 55% on the previous year. There was also a 22% rise in fluoride varnishes for adults, to 335,000.
The report also showed that adults who do not pay for NHS dental treatment accounted for a bigger proportion of complex treatments than those who pay. Less than a quarter of all courses of treatment in 2010/11 were for adults who do not pay, but they accounted for more than half of all complex treatment (1.2 million out of 2.2 million courses), such as bridge work and dentures. One reason for this may be a lower standard of dental health among non-paying adults, according to NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2010/11.
An increasing number of female dentists are working for the NHS. In 2010/11; 22,800 dentists performed NHS activity – an increase of approximately 800 (3.6 per cent) overall on the previous year. 43.5 per cent of NHS dentists are now females following a 6.8 per cent increase on the previous year. This continues a recent trend that is particularly notable in the under-35 age group; 55.2 per cent of whom are female.
For full report see: http://tinyurl.com/3rn7a2l
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