Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for orthodontic treatment was in each primary care trust in each year since 2001.

Ann Keen
Tables have been placed in the Library which set out available information on the average waiting times for first consultant outpatient appointments and for hospital orthodontic treatment. Information relating to treatment in primary care is not collected centrally.

Average waiting times are based on the median wait of patients still waiting for admission or first outpatient appointment at the end of the quarter. For outpatients, medians can also be calculated using patients seen during the quarter. However, for consistency with inpatient data, the outpatient median has been calculated from those still waiting.