Summary

This final, experimental, report for 2008/09 shows NHS clinical dental activity in England and Wales at the national level for the third and fourth quarters of 2008/09, up to and including 31 March 2009. This report revises and replaces the Provisional Clinical Dental Report, England and Wales: Quarter 3, 31 December 2008 – Experimental Statistics.

Key facts

• In England, for adults, scale and polish was the most common clinical treatment. In quarter 4, 43.8 per cent of adult CoTs included a scale a polish, equating to almost 3 million CoTs.
• For children, the large majority of activity took place at band 2 level with permanent fillings and sealant restorations being the most common treatment for children.
• In Wales, for adults, CoTs with a scale and polish were the most common treatment in Q3 and Q4 whilst for children the treatment that accounted for the largest percentage was permanent fillings and sealant restorations.

Additional information

Following feedback on the provisional report, which contained comparisons to 2003/04 clinical treatment activity, The NHS IC undertook further research and analysis which established that reliable comparisons could not in fact be made between current clinical data and data produced under the previous dental contracting model, in place in 2003/04. Accordingly, no historical comparisons are made in this final report.

The provisional report remains available on request from The NHS IC (via our contact centre), though readers are advised to consider concerns regarding comparability of historical data presented in the report, described on page 4 and Annex 1 of the final report.

Download a list of those who received pre-release access to the provisional report here (pdf 3KB)