British dental appointments on the rise

The United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) recently released a report that indicated that almost one million more people in England have had dental check-ups compared to the same period five years ago.

A total of 29.1 million patients were seen and given a dental examination in the last two years — 967,000 more than the baseline figure in March 2006. The perecentage of the population treated by NHS dentist (56.2 per cent) has exceeded the baseline level (55.8 percent) for the very first time.

Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, explained, "The uncertainties surrounding the dental contract over the last decade created an overwhelming shortage of NHS dentists, to the point that there were simply not enough to go around.

"Thankfully, we now seem to be getting back on track. The public are no longer left with a choice between having to travel long distances to see an NHS Dentist, or go private. The availability of NHS dentists is improving which is what extensive reports over the last year have shown."

The NHS report also revealed a decrease in procedures performed in the last quarter, a decrease of 100,000 from the previous year.

Dr Carter commented, "There is a definitive correlation between the number of patients seen and the courses of treatment. If more people go to the dentist on a regular basis, then the likelihood is that the amount of dental work you will need will be decreased."

To view the British NHS Dental Statistics for England, click here.