The proportion of people seeing an NHS dentist in England has risen for the second consecutive period, figures from The NHS Information Centre show today.

NHS dentists saw 53.4 per cent (27.3 million) of the population in the 24 month period ending 31 December 2008. This compares to 52.9 per cent (27.0 million) seen in the previous 24 month period ending 30 September 2008.

The number of patients seen is still 3.1 per cent (0.9 million) less than the number seen in the 24 month period ending 31 March 2006, immediately before the new dental contract.

The report; NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3, 31 December 2008, also shows that in England:

• NHS dentists saw 49.0 per cent (19.7 million) of the adult population (aged 18 and over) in the 24 month period ending 31 December 2008. This is a 0.2 million increase (1.1 per cent) on the previous 24 month period ending 30 September 2008, but a 0.7 million decrease (3.4 per cent) on the 24 month period ending 31 March 2006
• NHS dentists saw 69. 2 per cent (7.6 million) of the child population (aged under 18) in the 24 month period ending 31 December 2008. This is an 18,000 (0.2 per cent) increase on the previous 24 month period ending 30 September 2008, but a 0.2 million decrease (2.4 per cent) on the 24 month period ending 31 March 2006.

In the first three quarters of 2008/09, NHS dentists provisionally carried out 27.7 million Courses of Treatment (CoTs), which equated to 59.7 million provisional Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). Compared to the final figure for the first three quarters of 2007/08, this is a 3.1 per cent (0.8 million) provisional increase in CoTs and a 4.4 per cent (2.5 million) provisional increase in UDAs.

All Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) in England saw a provisional increase in the number of CoTs and UDAs in the first three quarters of 2008/09, compared to the first three quarters of 2007/08. The biggest provisional percentage increase was in South West SHA, where CoTs increased by 4.0 per cent (110,000) and UDAs increased by 5.8 per cent (320,000). The smallest provisional percentage increase was in North East SHA, where CoTs increased by 1.8 per cent (30,000) and UDAs increased by 2.3 per cent (80,000).

NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “NHS dentists have seen an increased number of patients for the second consecutive period – with more than half the population in the dentist's chair during the 24 month period ending last December.

“But the number of patients seen is still nearly one million less than the number seen in the 24 month period ending 31 March 2006, immediately before the new dental contract was brought in,”

National and regional figures are available in the report, which can be found at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q3

Another NHS Information Centre report; General Ophthalmic Services: Workforce Statistics for England and Wales, 31 December 2008, is also published today. The report can be found at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/goswf08

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with more than 300 health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. This report presents NHS dental activity in England in the third quarter of 2008/09 (up to and including 31 December 2008) as well as in the first three quarters of 2008/09 cumulatively. It also presents the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months ending 31 December 2008. The report does not cover private work carried out by NHS Dentists and excludes orthodontic activity, although orthodontic patients are included in the patients seen measure. The source of the data is NHS Dental Services of the NHS Business Services Authority. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care has responsibility for analysing and publishing these data.
3. Quarterly activity information for 2008/09 is provisional and will subsequently be revised upwards[1] to account for Courses of Treatment (CoTs) reported too late for inclusion in this report. At this stage, any comparisons between 2008/09 and 2007/08 compare provisional figures with final figures. Final figures for 2008/09 will be published in the end of year report, expected to be published in August 2009. For Quarter 3 in 2007/08 the increase between the provisional figures (at Quarter 3) and the final figures was 0.9 per cent for both CoTs and Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). For the first three quarters of 2007/08 cumulatively, the increase between the provisional figures (at Quarter 3) and final figures was 0.5 per cent for both CoTs and UDAs. This suggests that comparisons with the final figures for 2007/08 will produce an underestimate of change. For Quarter 3 at a Strategic Health Authority (SHA) level, the increase between the provisional figures (at Quarter 3) and final figures ranged from 0.5 per cent to 1.1 per cent for CoTs, and from 0.6 per cent to 1.1 per cent for UDAs. For the first three quarters of 2007/2008 cumulatively, the increase between provisional (at Quarter 3) and final SHA figures ranged from 0.3 per cent to 0.6 per cent for CoTs, and from 0.3 per cent to 0.7 per cent for UDAs.
4. Each Course of Treatment, dependent on the complexity of the treatment, represents a given number of Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). Along with CoTs, UDAs are a way of measuring dental activity.
5. For media enquiries please call 0845 257 6990 or contact Kristina Fox on 0113 2547120 kristina.fox@ic.nhs.uk; Fraser Woodward on 07983 629448 fraser.woodward@ic.nhs.uk; Sarah Dahlgren on 0113 254 7272 sarah.dahlgren@ic.nhs.uk