Dentist visits down under new dental contract
The number of people that have seen an NHS dentist under the new dental contract is has dropped compared to under the old contract, according to the NHS Information Centre.
New official statistics show that the proportion of people in England who saw an NHS dentist in the two years to April 2009 was 1.95% lower than those seeing a dentist in the two years to April 2006.
The new dental contract, introduced in 2006, was intended to improve access to NHS dentists and preventative treatment.
However, statistics do indicate that access has been improving slowly since the end of 2008. 21,343 dentists did some NHS work during 2008-2009, an increase of 2.5% on 2007-2008. Statistics also showed that the nature of treatments had changed under the new contract, with crown, bridge and root canal treatments all falling.
Tim Straughan, NHS Information Centre chief executive, said: “Our annual report into NHS dentistry in England points to more work being done for the NHS and more dentists doing it.
“Our new clinical report suggests that the nature of their work has changed over time, with less bridges fitted and radiographs taken but more dentures being fitted as part of a patient’s course of treatment”.
Chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee John Milne said: “These reports also highlight a change in the treatment patterns of care provided by NHS dentists, with decreases in the amount of many more complicated treatments compared to 2003-2004.
“This change is in line with the aim of the reforms to reduce the amount of complex treatments being provided.”
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