The number of NHS dental patients has fallen
The number of patients treated in the last two years by an NHS dentist has fallen. This will come as good news to officials responsible for the service overhaul in 2006, which was heavily criticised at the time.
The statistics are the findings of new NHS Information Centre data, which shows a significant decrease in the number of complex procedures performed since 2003-04, before the dental system overhaul.
There was a 45.5% decrease in bridge treatments, from 146,000 – 80,000. There was also a drop in the treatment of root canals, down from 907,000 to 549,000, a decrease of 39.4%.
Overall, it was found that the number of patients who visited an NHS dentist in the last two years was 53.8%, down 1.9% from the period before the new dental contract.
However, the data does show that there has been a rise in patients treated by NHS dentists in 2008/2009 when compared to the previous year.
The new dental contract was introduced in 2006, and brought about a system in which dentists were paid a flat salary whether they carried out simple or complex treatment. The average dental salary is £90,000 but can reach as high as £200,000 for some.
This has led to criticism that dentists have no incentive to carry out difficult dental work, such as bridges and root canals. This could be seen as one reason for the decrease in complex procedures.
Barry Cockcroft, the government chief dental officer denies such allegations: “There is a legal and ethical obligation to deliver all NHS treatment required.”
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