NHS dental services: April 2017 to March 2018

Patients treated in the 24 months before 31 March 2018

• 1.7 million patients (55.0% of the population) were treated in the 24 month period ending March 2018. 52.0% of adults were treated, slightly decreasing from the previous period; as well as 66.9% of children, increasing slightly from the previous period.

Patient charges between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018

• 45.2% of all courses of treatment were for paying adults. 
• The total patient charge for this amounted to £35.5 million, an increase of 2.1% when compared to the patient charge of £34.7 million in 2016-17.

Activity between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018

• 4.9 million units of dental activity were carried out in 2017-18, a decrease of 2.7% compared with 2016-17. This represented approximately 2.4 million individual NHS dental courses of treatment, a decrease of 0.4% compared with 2016–17. 

Workforce between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018

• A total of 1,479 dentists who had NHS activity were recorded between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018. There were 4.7 dentists per 10,000 population, which was the same as the previous year.