Dental Services: Children

(asked on 13th April 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2017 to Question 66939, on dental services: children, for what reason his Department does not hold any data for children before 31 December 2015.


Answered by
 Portrait
David Mowat
This question was answered on 25th April 2017

The Department does hold data on the number of children seen by an National Health Service dentist before 31 December 2015 but not the data requested in the previous Question. The hon. Member asked how many children were seen by a NHS dentist in each 12 month period that his Department held data for. Data for children seen in a 12 month period is not available for earlier periods but between 31 March 2006 and 31 December 2015 data was collected on the number of children seeing an NHS dentist in a 24 month period. This data is set out in the attached table.

The change in the measurement period was to align with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the maximum recommended interval of routine check-ups for children. For adults the maximum recall period is 24 months so this remains the period used for adults.

Reticulating Splines