NHS dental services: April 2022 to March 2023
Number of patients receiving NHS dental treatment, the type of treatments provided and the numbers of NHS dentists for April 2022 to March 2023.
This file may not be fully accessible.
In this page
Introduction
The statistics in this release are based on NHS dental work completed by a NHS dentist in Wales, which has been submitted for payment. Data are processed and supplied by NHS Business Services Authority.
New statistics are provided for: the number and percentage of patients treated in the 24-month period that ended on the 31 March 2023; and for the number of courses of treatment completed, underlying clinical activity undertaken, dental workforce, and orthodontic activity in the financial year 2022-23.
Definitions of terms used in the release are available in the quality and methodology section.
Main points
In the 24-month period ending March 2023, the number of adults treated by an NHS dentist increased by a third (34.0%) and the number of children treated increased by 41.1% since the 24-month period ending March 2022.
While the number of patients treated increased markedly, the number remains below the pre-pandemic level.
More than 180,000 patients treated in the financial year 2022-23 were new patients (patients who had not previously received any NHS Band 1, 2 or 3 treatments in the previous four years). This was 17.2% of all the patients treated in the year.
In 2022-23, nearly 1.4 million courses of treatment were recorded, a third (29.4%) more than in the previous year, but nearly 42% lower than in the year prior to the pandemic (2019-20).
More than half (53.5%) of treatments were in the Band 1 category and activity for treatments in Bands 1, 2 and 3 increased from the previous year. However, free treatments decreased by 38.6% to their lowest level on record, and urgent treatments decreased by 16.6%, the first annual decrease in urgent treatments since the pandemic.
Just more than six in ten (62.7%) of adult courses of treatment and eight in ten (81.6%) child courses of treatment included a fluoride varnish, while just more than six in ten (62.1%) adult courses of treatment and seven in ten (70.5%) child courses of treatment included the newly introduced Assessment of Clinical and Oral Risks and Need (ACORN).
In 2022-23, £22.7m revenue was generated from patient charges, an increase of 19.6% from 2021-22, but 34.9% below the pre-pandemic level of £34.9m in 2019-20.
More than 10,000 (10,695) orthodontic treatments were recorded in 2022-23, an increase of 13.7% from the previous year and the highest number on record.
1,434 dentists recorded NHS work in 2022-23, an increase of 1.0% from the previous year. The total number of dentists who performed any NHS work during the year has remained broadly similar for the previous ten years.
The average number of courses of treatment performed by each dentist in 2022-23 increased by 28.1% from the previous year but remains below the pre-pandemic level.
In 2022-23, just more than half (50.8%) of NHS dentists were female. The percentage of female workforce has increased in each of the last ten years.
Two thirds (64.0%) of NHS dentists were aged 44 or younger and one in ten (10.0%) spoke Welsh.
Patients treated
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that patients are recalled for dental check-ups at intervals of three months to 24 months depending on the individual’s oral health status. Therefore ‘patients treated’ statistics are based on a rolling 24-month period. This means that the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting on the patients’ treated statistics as the most recent 24-month period overlaps with the pandemic period.
Each patient is counted only once even if they have received multiple episodes of care during the 24-month period. Patients may be treated outside of their resident health board and orthodontic patients are included.
Statistics on the percentage of the population who received NHS dental services in 2022-23 are based on mid-2021 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These are the latest available population data at the time of publication.
See the quality and methodology section for more information on population estimates and the quality report for more information on how patients are counted.
Figure 1: Percentage of the adult and child population treated in the 24-month period ending March each year, 2014 to 2023 [Note 1]
Description of Figure 1: The percentage of adults treated in each 24-month period was stable between 2014 and 2020, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The percentage increased sharply in the latest period but remains below the pre-pandemic level. The percentage of children treated in each 24-month period was increasing steadily until the pandemic. The percentage also increased sharply in the latest period but remains below the pre-pandemic level.
Source: FP17W form, NHS Business Services Authority
[Note 1] Adults includes the number of resident populations aged 18 years or over. Children includes the number of resident populations aged 0 to 17 years.
In the 24-month period ending March 2023, just over 981,000 adults (or 39.4% of the adult population) and almost 350,000 children (or 56.8% of the child population) were treated by NHS dentists. Overall, 1,331,440 patients (or 42.9% of the total population) were treated.
Compared to the 24-month period ending March 2022, the number of adults treated increased by 34.0% (or 249,252 patients) and the percentage of the adult population treated increased by 10.0 percentage points.
The number of children treated increased by 41.1% (101,987 patients) and the percentage of children treated increased by 16.5 percentage points.
Overall, there was an increase of 35.8% (351,239 patients) in the total number of patients treated, and the percentage of the total population treated increased by 11.3 percentage points.
The total number of patients treated during the 24-months ending March 2023 was 23.0% lower than the number treated during the last 24-month period that was largely unaffected by the pandemic (24-months ending March 2020).
New patients treated
As part of the dental contract reform programme, dental practices are remunerated for seeing new patients and data on new patients has been collected since April 2022.
‘New patients’ are those treated with an Assessment of Clinical Oral Risks and Need (ACORN) indicated on the FP17W in the current period, who had not completed a course of Band 1, 2, or 3 treatment in the four years prior to the date of acceptance for the current treatment.
Figure 2: New NHS dental patients treated as a percentage of all patients treated by adults and children, 2022-23 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 2: Close to one in seven adults and close to one in four children who received treatment in 2022-23 were new patients.
Source: FP17W, NHS Business Services Authority
[Note 1] Adult refers to patients aged 18 and over; child refers to patients aged 17 and under.
[Note 2] As new patient data is only available from April 2022, the denominator for the percentage calculation includes the number of patients treated in the 12-month period ending 31 March 2023 only.
New NHS dental patients treated (StatsWales)
Just more than 112,000 (112,457) new adult patients were treated in 2022-23, 14.8% of all adult patients treated in the year.
Just more than 70,000 (70,325) new child patients were treated, 23.2% of all children treated in the year.
Overall, nearly 183,000 (182,782) new patients were treated in 2022-23, 17.2% of all patients treated in the year.
Activity: courses of treatment
The activity data in this release is based on completed treatments recorded through FP17W forms, processed by NHS Business Services Authority. Treatments are categorised by treatment bands which are used to determine the fee paid by patients.
More information is available in the quality report.
Figure 3: Number of courses of treatment by treatment band, each year between 2013-14 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 3: The total number of courses of treatment was broadly stable over the longer term, before falling sharply during the pandemic. The number of treatments has increased in the most recent years, but remains lower than the pre-pandemic level.
Source: FP17W form, NHS Business Services Authority
Courses of treatment by treatment band (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, close to 1.4 million courses of treatment were recorded, an increase of nearly a third (29.4%) since the previous year. The total number of courses of treatment was 41.9% lower than in the last period, largely unaffected by the pandemic (2019-20).
Band 1 treatments were the most common treatment band, accounting for over half (53.5%) of all courses of treatment. The number of Band 1 treatments increased by more than half (57.4%) since the previous year.
Band 2 treatments increased by a quarter (25.8%) and Band 3 treatments increased by 12.4% since the previous year.
Around one in seven (14.1%) courses of treatments were urgent and the number of urgent treatments decreased by 16.6% since the previous year; the first annual decrease in urgent treatments since the pandemic.
The number of free treatments decreased by 38.6% and was at its lowest level on record (4,256 treatments).
Patient charges
In 2022-23, there were just under 660,000 (659,662) chargeable courses of treatment for paying adults; 313,000 (313,117) courses of treatment for non-paying adults and just under 380,000 (379,939) courses of treatment for children. £22.7 million was generated from patient charges, up by 19.6% from 2021-22.
Data for courses of treatment by patient type and patient charge data are available on StatsWales.
Data for Units of Dental Activity (UDA) are available on StatsWales.
Activity: clinical dental activity
In this statistical release clinical dental activity data are categorised as either physical treatments; preventative advice; items prescribed; or other activity. Data for ‘other’ activity are available on StatsWales only. See the quality and methodology section for more information.
Figure 4: Percentage of courses of treatment which had each of the five most frequent physical treatments for adults and children, 2022-23 [Note 1] [Note 2] [Note 3]
Description of Figure 4: Fluoride varnish was the most frequently performed physical treatment for both adults and children in 2022-23. The other most frequent physical treatments were: Assessments of Clinical Oral Risks and Need (ACORN), radiographs, examinations and permanent fillings.
Source: FP17W form, NHS Business Services Authority
[Note 1] Chart only shows data for the five most frequent physical treatments, data for all other physical treatments are available on StatsWales.
[Note 2] An FP17W form can have more than one clinical item recorded. The sum of percentages by physical treatment will therefore not equal 100%.
[Note 3] Adults refer to patients aged 18 or over; children refer to patients aged 17 or younger.
Clinical dental activity: physical treatments (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, more than six in ten (62.7%) adult courses of treatment included fluoride varnish. The number of adult courses of treatment with fluoride varnish increased by 26.1% since 2021-22.
More than eight in ten (81.6%) child courses of treatment included fluoride varnish. The number of child courses of treatment with fluoride varnish increased by 37.7% since 2021-22.
More than four in ten (43.4%) of adult courses of treatment and 14.0% of child courses of treatment included radiographs.
More than a quarter (27.1%) of adult courses of treatment and 15.3% of child courses of treatment included permanent fillings.
Assessments of Clinical Oral Risks and Need (ACORN) are a new clinical data item collected and formally validated from April 2022. ACORN provides a toolkit that allows dentists to carry out risks and needs assessments in a systematic way. If an ACORN is undertaken, the ‘examination’ does not need to be recorded.
In 2022-23, more than 600,000 (606,809) adult ACORN and nearly 270,000 (267,745) child ACORN were recorded. 62.1% of all adult courses of treatment and 70.5% of all child courses of treatment included ACORN.
See the quality and methodology section for information on changes to the way certain clinical data items have been collected through the FP17W from 2022-23.
Figure 5: Percentage of courses of treatment with preventative advice for adults and children, 2022-23 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 5: In 2022-23, advice on fluoride toothpaste and spit no rinse was the preventative advice offered most frequently in courses of treatment for both adults and children.
Source: FP17W form, NHS Business Services Authority
[Note 1] An FP17W form can have more than one clinical item recorded. The sum of percentages by preventative advice will therefore not equal 100%.
[Note 2] Adults refer to patients aged 18 or over; children refer to patients aged 17 or younger.
Clinical dental activity: preventative advice (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, one in five (20.0%) adult courses of treatment included advice on fluoride toothpaste and spit no rinse, and one in six (17.2%) included toothbrushing advice.
Nearly a quarter (24.2%) of child courses of treatment included advice on fluoride toothpaste and spit no rinse, and nearly one in five (19.0%) included toothbrushing advice.
Figure 6: Number of courses of treatment with prescribed items for adults and children, 2022-23 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 6: Antibiotics was the most prescribed item in courses of treatment for adults, and high fluoride toothpaste/daily rinse was the most prescribed item in courses of treatment for children.
Source: FP17W form, NHS Business Services Authority
[Note 1] An FP17W form can have more than one clinical item recorded. The sum of the individual prescribed items will not necessarily sum to the total number of courses of treatment where an item was prescribed.
[Note 2] Adults refer to patients aged 18 or over; children refer to patients aged 17 or younger.
Clinical dental activity: prescribed items (StatsWales)
In 2022-23 just fewer than 30,000 (28,171) adult courses of treatment included the prescribing of antibiotics and more than 18,000 (18,721) included the prescribing of high fluoride toothpaste/daily rinse.
Just more than 5,000 (5,078) child courses of treatment included the prescribing of high fluoride toothpaste/daily rinse and just more than 4,000 (4,038) included the prescribing of antibiotics.
A very small number of courses of treatment included the prescription of stronger preparations. In total (adults and children combined) 513 courses of treatment included prescriptions for analgesics and 24 included prescriptions for sedatives.
Orthodontic activity
Orthodontics is a specialist area of dentistry concerned with the growth and development of the teeth and jaws and the prevention and treatment of abnormalities of this development, therefore most patients are children. Further details on orthodontics are available in the quality report.
Figure 7: Number of orthodontic treatments undertaken, 2013-14 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 7: The number of orthodontic treatments was increasing modestly prior to the pandemic, then fell sharply in the pandemic. Treatments increased to a similar level as before the pandemic in 2021-22 before increasing to a record high in 2022-23.
Source: FP17OW form (Assessed and Accepted FP17OW), NHS Business Services Authority
Number of treatments undertaken (Assessed and Accepted FP17OWs) (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, more than 10,000 (10,695) orthodontic treatments were recorded, the highest number on record. This is an increase of 13.7% since the previous year and an increase of 15.5% from ten years ago.
Workforce
Dental workforce statistics refer to the total number of dentists with any NHS activity recorded between 1 April and 31 March each year. This is a headcount; full-time equivalent data is not presently available.
A new dental workforce reporting system is being introduced in Wales and it is anticipated that data from that system will be available to publish in 2024.
Statistics on dentists per 100,000 population for 2022-23 are based on mid-2021 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
See the quality and methodology section for more workforce and population information.
Figure 8: Total number of dentists with NHS activity and the number of courses of treatments per dentist, 2013-14 to 2022-23 [Note 1]
Description of Figure 8: The number of NHS dentists decreased slightly during the pandemic but has increased slightly since and was just below the pre-pandemic level in 2022-23. The number of courses of treatment per dentist has increased in recent years following a sharp fall during the pandemic, but remains below the pre-pandemic level.
Source: FP17W form
[Note 1] Performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17W forms.
Dentists with NHS activity (StatsWales)
Courses of treatment by treatment band (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, there were 1,434 dentists with NHS activity recorded in Wales. This is an increase of 1.0% from 2021-22 (or 14 more dentists) and a decrease 0.3% (or 4 dentists) from 10 years ago.
Each dentist completed an average (mean) of 946 courses of treatment in 2022-23. This is 28.1% higher than in 2021-22, but 42.7% lower than 10 years ago.
The number of dentists per head of population has been broadly stable over the past 10 years, with only small year-to-year changes.
There were 46 dentists per 100,000 population in 2022-23. This is the same as in 2021-22 and 2013-14.
Figure 9: The percentage of dentists with NHS activity by sex, 2013-14 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 9: Bar chart showing the percentage of female dentists has increased over the past ten years and in 2022-23 a little over half of dentists were female.
Source: FP17W form
Dentists with NHS activity (StatsWales)
The sex breakdown of NHS dentists has been gradually changing over-time in Wales. The majority of dentists ten years ago were male, but the percentage of female dentists has increased in every year since and there have been more female dentist than male dentists in the last two years.
In 2022-23, 50.8% of dentists with NHS activity were female, an increase of 0.4 percentage points since the previous year and an increase of 7.7 percentage points from ten years ago.
Conversely, in 2022-23, 49.2% of dentists with NHS activity were male, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points since the previous year and a decrease of 7.7 percentage points from ten years ago.
Figure 10: The percentage of dentists with NHS activity by age, 2013-14 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 10: In each of the last ten years, close to two thirds of NHS dentists were less than 45 years old. The age group with the largest number of dentists has been the under 35 group, followed by 35 to 44. The 55 or older group had the least number of dentists in each of the last ten years.
Source: FP17W form
Dentists with NHS activity (StatsWales)
The age profile of the NHS dentist workforce has been broadly unchanged over the last 10 years.
In 2022-23, more than one third (36.8%) of dentists were aged 34 or younger; over a quarter (27.2%) were aged between 35 and 44; just more than one in five (22.7%) were aged between 45 and 54; and close to one in seven (13.3%) were 55 or older.
The change in each age group was marginal from the previous year; the largest increase was in the 45 to 54 age group (1.2 percentage points) and the largest decrease was in the 55 or over age group (0.8 percentage points).
Joiners and leavers
A joiner is defined as a dentist who recorded NHS activity in the latest year but not in the previous year. A leaver is defined as having NHS activity recorded in the previous year but not in the latest year. Therefore, data for leavers has a one-year lag.
More information about joiners and leavers is available in the quality report.
Figure 11: NHS dental leavers and joiners, 2013-14 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 11: The number of joiners and leavers have been broadly close for most of the last 10 years, with some year-to-year variation. The largest difference was in the year prior to the pandemic, where 76 more dentists left than joined. 37 more dentists joined than left in 2021-22, the largest positive difference after 2012-13.
Source: FP17W form
NHS dental leavers and joiners (StatsWales)
While there is year-to-year variation, the number of joiners and leavers has been close over the last ten years, with an average (mean) of 156 joiners and 149 leavers each year.
In 2021-22, 126 dentists (8.9% of all dentists in 2021-22) stopped performing NHS work, compared to 163 dentists (11.5% of all dentists in 2021-22) newly performing NHS work in 2021-22.
The latest data for 2022-23 shows that there were 140 joiners, 23 fewer than in 2021-22.
Welsh language
All dentists undertaking NHS dentistry in Wales are required to be registered on the Dental Performers’ List. When registering, a dentist self-reports if they are able to speak Welsh. This information is currently collected by a simple ‘Yes/No’ question and is not typically updated throughout the dentist’s tenure on the list.
Statistics for the number of Welsh speaking dentists per 10,000 Welsh speaking people (from the 2021 Census) and the number of Welsh speaking dentists per 10,000 general population based on the 2021 ONS mid-year estimates are available on StatsWales.
Figure 12: Percentage of NHS dentists recorded as being Welsh speakers, 2018-19 to 2022-23
Description of Figure 12: The percentage of dentists recorded as Welsh speakers has remained consistently around 10% in each of the six years where data is available.
Source: Dental Performers’ List, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. ONS mid-year population estimates, Office for National Statistics.
Welsh Speaking Dentists (StatsWales)
ONS Population Estimates (StatsWales)
There were 144 (or 10.0%) Welsh speaking dentists recorded on the Dental Performers List in Wales, as of August 2023. This is an increase of 13 Welsh speaking dentists compared to August 2022.
These statistics may not necessarily represent the number of dentists who currently consult in Welsh or who are able to consult in Welsh.
The percentage of dentists who had any Welsh speaking skills in 2022-23 (10.0%) is lower than the percentage of the Welsh population who have Welsh speaking skills. The 2021 Census (StatsWales) estimates 17.8% of people in Wales had some Welsh speaking skills, and the Annual Population Survey (StatsWales) as at March 2023 estimates 29.7% of people in Wales had some Welsh speaking skills.
Dental practices
Figure 13: General dental practices, 2022-23
Description of Figure 13: A map of Wales showing the location of dental practices which offered NHS or Community Dental Service appointments in 2022-23. There is a higher concentration of dental practices in south Wales compared to both mid and north Wales, broadly reflecting population density.
Source: FP17W, NHS Business Services Authority
Dental contracts and practices (StatsWales)
In 2022-23, there were 432 dental practices and 552 dental contracts in Wales. This includes two contracts located in England (Shropshire). This is based on at least one FP17W or FP17OW being submitted by a contract at a dental practice.
See the quality and methodology section for contract and practice definitions.
Quality and methodology information
Detailed information about the statistics in this release are published in the quality report.
Impact of COVID-19
COVID-19 had a significant impact on dental services in Wales and data collected from the last quarter of the financial year 2019-20 to the full financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 was affected.
Practices were limited in the treatments they could provide at the height of the pandemic and infection, prevention and control (IPC) measures have since been gradually relaxed. More detail is available in the quality report.
Courses of treatment (CoTs)
Data on CoTs completed by an NHS dentist are submitted to NHS Business Services Authority for payment via an electronic FP17W form, through the Compass system.
A Course of Treatment (CoT) is defined as:
- (a) an examination of a patient, an assessment of their oral health, and the planning of any treatment to be provided to that patient as a result of that examination and assessment; and
- (b) the provision of any planned treatment (including any treatment planned at a time other than the time of the initial examination) to that patient.
The course of treatment will also include any treatment that is discovered during the course, even at a later date to the initial assessment. For example, the clinician with their scope of practice could state that a patient needs three fillings but when the patient returns for the final filling; the clinician realises that the patient needs a further filling. This would be included in the same CoT and come under the same initial charge.
Treatments are split into treatment bands, according to level of complexity and these bands are used to determine the charge paid by patients.
Band 1
Includes a check-up and simple treatment (such as examination, diagnosis (e.g. x-rays), advice on preventative measures, and fluoride varnish).
Band 2
Includes mid-range treatments (such as fillings, extractions, and root canal work) in addition to Band 1 work.
Band 3
Includes complex treatments (such as crowns, dentures, and bridges) in addition to Band 1 and Band 2 work.
Urgent
Treatments where prompt care is provided because, in the opinion of the dental practitioner, that person's oral health is likely to deteriorate significantly, or the person is in severe pain by reason of their oral condition; and care and treatment is provided only to the extent that is necessary to prevent that significant deterioration or address that severe pain.
Free
Treatments which do not incur a patient charge and include arrest of bleeding, bridge repairs, denture repair, removal of sutures, and prescription issues.
Clinical dental activity
The clinical data items in the FP17W form include physical treatments as well as preventative advice and prescribed items. For example, one course of treatment might include clinical dental activity such as a permanent filling, toothbrushing advice, and an antibiotic prescription. All data are available on StatsWales.
The clinical data items available reflect those collected on the FP17W form (NHS Business Services Authority).
Since the last statistical release, there have been changes to the way certain clinical data items have been collected through the FP17W. This includes the introduction of an ACORN assessment which is a toolkit that enables dental teams to summarise findings from the patient's history and clinical examination in a systematic manner. If an ACORN assessment is performed, an 'examination' does not need to be recorded. Therefore, examination data is not collected on the same basis as in previous years. Also note than an ACORN assessment does not need to be carried out on urgent courses of treatment.
Patients can receive more than one clinical treatment within a single course of treatment. See the NHS Business Services Authority website for more information about clinical items.
Definitions of clinical terms used in this release
Fluoride varnish
A fluoride preparation which is applied to the surfaces of teeth as a primary preventive measure.
Radiograph(s) taken
Often known as an x-ray, dental radiographs provide an image of the teeth, mouth and/or gums that can help the dentist to identify underlying problems, such as decay and gum disease.
Permanent fillings and sealant restorations
The restoration of a tooth by filling a cavity to replace lost tooth tissue. Various substances may be used, including composite resin, amalgam or glass ionomer.
Examination
This would normally include charting of the teeth, recording of the periodontal condition and soft tissue examination all of which would be detailed with other necessary clinical details on the clinical record.
Changes were made to how examinations should be recorded in the FP17W as of April 2020 and again in April 2022. For April 2022 onwards, if an ACORN assessment is recorded in an FP17W then an examination should not be carried out.
Assessment of Clinical Oral Risks and Need (ACORN)
A risk assessment tool and should be recorded as part of a thorough oral health assessment. An ACORN assessment covers 8 themes which are recorded on the FP17Ws: medical history; social history; dental history; tooth decay; total number of teeth in the mouth; total number of teeth with dentinal decay; periodontal health; and other dental need.
Preventative advice
Removal of plaque retentive factors
Includes the removal of plaque retentive factors for example calculus, and overhangs.
Toothbrushing advice
Tooth brushing advice, including demonstration was required.
Inter dental cleaning aids
Aids are demonstrated and patient is observed patient using inter dental brushes in relevant areas in the mouth.
Oral hygiene improvement plan
A plan is discussed to improve the patient’s oral hygiene.
NHS workforce
A new workforce reporting system is being introduced to all NHS dental practices across Wales, based on the Wales National Workforce Reporting System which has been used to collect general practice workforce data since 2020. Once implemented, workforce data will be extracted and new NHS dental workforce official statistics will be produced. It is anticipated these statistics will be published in 2024.
Dental contracts and practices
Dental contract: a dental practitioner or group of dental practitioners that enter into contract with a Local Health Board to provide NHS dental services. More than one dental practitioner can perform NHS dental work under the same contract (for example, the practitioner who enters the contract may sub-contract to other dental practitioners to perform work under the same contract).
Dental practice: the geographic location where dental treatment took place. Each location can have work performed there by different dental practitioners who may have entered into separate dental contracts with the Local Health Board.
Mid-year population estimates
The percentages of patients/adults/children treated in the latest 24-month period are calculated using mid-2021 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as the mid-2022 population estimates were not published at the time of this publication.
The ONS will also publish rebased mid-year estimates for the period mid-2012 to mid-2020 after these statistics are published.
This means that the statistics for the percentage of patients/adults/children treated in the relevant 24-month period will be revised in the next NHS dental statistical release. It is expected that the changes in the percentages will be small, but if the changes are large they will be commented on in more detail in the statistical release.
National Statistics status
The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.
All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the UK Statistics Authority’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate.
These statistics were designated as National Statistics in June 2012 following a full assessment against the Code of Practice by the Office for Statistics Regulation.
Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:
- Included additional open data, with more detailed breakdowns, on our StatsWales website.
- Updated key quality information and refreshed commentary throughout the release, including longer time comparisons of data.
Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)
The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.
Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the wellbeing goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.
Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local wellbeing assessments and local wellbeing plans.
We want your feedback
We welcome any feedback on any aspect of these statistics which can be provided by email to: stats.healthinfo@gov.wales
