NHS dental patients numbers ‘fall from 2006’

The number of patients receiving treatment from NHS dentists has fallen since the new contract of April 2006, figures have confirmed.

A report from the NHS Information Centre indicates that in the two years to December 2007, 53.7 per cent of the population – 27.3 million people – saw an NHS dentist.

However, in the 24 months ending April 2006, a total of 55.8 per cent of the population – 28.1 million patients – saw a dentist from the NHS.

The report, entitled NHS Dental Statistics for England, Quarter 3: 31 December 2007, also found that in the third quarter of 2007-08, there were 8.8 million courses of treatments carried out in England.

During the same period of time, a total of 19.2 million units of dental activity were carried out in the country.

In other news, online resource Dentistry.co.uk recently reported that the dental faculties from the Royal Colleges in Edinburgh, Glasgow and England are to provide an e-learning service for dentists in training.