To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people in (i) England, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) the Forest of Dean constituency currently registered with an NHS dentist. (154874)

Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.

The closest equivalent measure to registration is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (patients seen) in a given area over a 24-month period, expressed as a percentage of the estimated population for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.

The numbers of patients seen in the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 and the number expressed as a percentage of the population are available in Tables Cl and C2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report. Information is available at strategic health authority and primary care trust area in England. This report is available in the Library and at:

www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.

Information cannot be made available at constituency level without disproportionate cost.