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Dentistry
The dental services team at the Department of Health works to support the NHS, the dental care professions and other stakeholders to maximise oral health, improve NHS dental services and promote high-quality dentistry. The team also has responsibilities in relation to the dental workforce, education and information technology (IT). The team includes the Chief Dental Officer and other professional dental staff. These pages provide up to date information about the team’s work in these areas.
Information about dental public health in the NHS, improvements in oral health over the past 30 years, the Government’s oral health plan for England and guidance for strategic health authorities on water fluoridation.
Reforms introduced in April 2006 are designed to help provide better access to dental services and simplify the system of patient charges.
Guidance, policy statements and other information relating to issues such as clinical governance, prescribing, decontamination, cross-infection control and supply of local anaesthetic.
The Government undertook to recruit the equivalent of 1,000 additional dentists by October 2005 in response to the July 2004 publication, Report of the Primary Care Dental Workforce Review.
The Department works closely with the General Dental Council, which is responsible for professional self-regulation and standards of education, and with the postgraduate dental deans, the Faculty of Dental Surgery and other organisations involved in dental education.
The Department is working closely with NHS Connecting for Health, to ensure that dentistry is completely integrated within the National Programme for IT, thereby giving dental practices and community clinics access to all its benefits.
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