To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sets of complete upper and lower synthetic dentures were supplied under the national health service during the financial years 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91.

In 1988–89 there were 439,630 sets of complete upper and lower synthetic dentures provided under the national health service in England. The figure for 1989–90 was 345,430. The figure for 1990–91 is not yet available. The decline in numbers is likely to continue as people retain their natural teeth for longer.