NOTTINGHAM, England, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The DLA welcomed publication of the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report on the impact of the reforms to NHS dental services and, in particular, the requirement for the department of health to publish an explanation for the 50% reduction in complex treatments alongside commissioning research into the effect of this decline within the NHS system and its impact on oral health.

The recommendations also included a much needed extension to the patient charge bands. Dentists currently only get one fee for band 3 treatments, irrespective of the number provided and despite wide variations in the complexity and cost of appliances used. Back in 2006 the National Audit Office described bands as a system that offered perverse incentives to under prescribe complex treatments. The Health Select Committee Report recommended that both bands 2 and 3 be extended to recognise both the variations in the complexity and cost of appliances used.

David Smith, DLA Executive Board Member, said' These measures, if introduced, will go some way in ensuring that patients in need of band 3 treatments will again receive them. We found that overall these treatments had fallen by over 50 per cent, with some treatments like bridges and metal dentures (far superior to plastic dentures) almost disappearing from the NHS. The only item that had seen an increase was the most basic, single tooth denture, which had all but vanished under the old system.

'Increasing the bands within band 3 treatments will go some way to ensuring that all patients requiring crowns and dentures, particularly the post-war baby boomers, are not abandoned by the NHS. These patients were at high risk of developing dental disease and increasingly enjoyed access to NHS dentistry.

This favoured tooth preparation based on the principle of 'extension for prevention', with these patients entering the 'restorative cycle' of repeated placement and replacements of restorations. This lead to progressive loss of tooth structure and, ultimately, the tooth. These patients, with their large number of restorations and expectations to maintain a natural dentition, will have the greatest demand for complex dental care over the next 20 to 30 years.

'However, it's a pity that the Select Committee did not go further by recommending, as we proposed, co-payments, whereby patients could add to what the NHS was prepared to fund. In dentistry, there are often a variety of ways of restoring or replacing a tooth that differ in quality and cost. At present, and if the recommendation for increased bandings is introduced, patients treated under the NHS will still receive the most basic treatment and are unaware of the options available - a complete lack of transparency. Co-payments would enfranchise patients by giving them choice in the dental care they received.

'An added benefit of introducing co-payments and a point not lost on Kevin Barron, Chairman of the Select Committee during evidence sessions, is that the access problem would be solved at a stroke.'

Note to Editors

The Dental Laboratories Association is the UK organisation representing dental laboratory owners, established 48 years ago. It represents more than 50 per cent of laboratories, with over a thousand members, employing around 75 per cent of UK dental technicians.

Dental technicians produce the dental appliances that dentists use in the treatment of patients. These include crowns, bridges, implants, inlays, veneers, dentures, orthodontic appliances, mouth guards and anti snoring devices.

The reforms to high street dentistry were introduced into England and Wales in April 2006. Over 400 individual items of NHS treatment were replaced by three treatment bands: band 1 - checkups, scaling and diagnostic procedures; band 2 - fillings, root canal treatment and extractions; band 3 - treatments requiring laboratory work like crowns, bridges and dentures. Instead of dentists who own their dental practices being paid a fee for each treatment, they are now only paid one fee for each treatment band, irrespective of the number, complexity or cost of the appliance needed. The patient, unless exempt, pays a set amount for these three fees.

The DLA submitted written evidence to the Select Committee, which contained its proposals, and was invited to give oral evidence on 21 February 2008, both of which have been published by the Committee and can be viewed on its web pages.

For further information visit http://www.dla.org.uk, Email enquiries@dla.org.uk or call Richard Daniels on +44-(0)115-9254-888

For further information visit http://www.dla.org.uk, Email enquiries@dla.org.uk or call Richard Daniels on +44-(0)115-9254-888