To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are currently taking to ensure the retention of qualified dentists in the general dental service; and if he will make a statement. [1890]
This area is under review.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the total amounts claimed for dental treatments from the Dental Practice Board in each of the last five years in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the relationship between these figures and the numbers of general dental practitioners in the same periods. [1894]
Information on payments scheduled by the Dental Practice Board for England and Wales is given in the table. Questions relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland respectively. The table includes figures for the number of general dental practitioners on health authority lists.
| General dental service: Scheduled gross payments to dentists for item of service and number of dentists—1992–93 to 1996–97 | ||||
| England and Wales | ||||
| England | Wales | |||
| Item of service payments £ million1 | Number of dentists2 | Item of service payments £ million1 | Number of dentists2 | |
| 1992–93 | 966.6 | 15,618 | 53.4 | 831 |
| 1993–94 | 884.3 | 16,020 | 48.7 | 858 |
| 1994–95 | 925.3 | 15,745 | 49.8 | 850 |
| 1995–96 | 931.5 | 15,998 | 49.5 | 855 |
| 1996–97 | 951.3 | 16,387 | 51.1 | 913 |
| 1 Most child treatments were paid for through capitation payments until September 1996. Therefore the item of service figures do not give a true reflection of the amount of child treatment carried out. The figures include entry payments. | ||||
| 2These figures are a headcount of the number of different dentists on Health Authority lists. They exclude community salaried and hospital dentists. | ||||