Fall in A&E dental admissions

A fall in the proportion of emergency hospital admissions triggered by dental problems has been hailed as a sign that NHS dental services are improving.

Figures published by the Department of Health (DoH) show there were 17,736 admissions via A&E under dental consultants in 2006/7 – the first year of the new NHS contract – representing 0.51% of total A&E admissions.

That was down from 18,930 (0.56%) the previous year, 2005/6. The A&E figures were warmly welcomed by the government, which has faced criticism for presiding over an increase in overall – including non-emergency – hospital admissions related to dental problems.

Separate DoH statistics published over the summer showed the number of hospital admissions where a dental consultant was responsible for the patient, including those admitted via A&E and elsewhere, rose by 20% from 200,519 to 238,967 in the years between 1997/8 and 2006/7.

Critics said the records showed people were being forced to go to hospital for treatment because they could not get an appointment with an NHS dentist.

In addition, back in May, researchers at Bristol University linked an increase in patients admitted to hospital with dental abscesses to problems over access to NHS dentists. The researchers said the increase represented a ‘major public health problem' and seemed to be caused by ‘changes in service provision' over a number of years that reduced access to dental care.

At the time, Professor Damien Walmsley, the scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, called for a ‘careful investigation' to find out why admissions for abscesses had increased so dramatically.

But the latest figures from the Department of Health – published in a Parliamentary answer by Health Minister Ann Keen in response to a question by Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley – show only that fewer patients with dental problems are being admitted to hospital via A&E.

A DoH spokeswoman said: ‘The decrease in patients admitted to A&E for dental treatment reflects the growing strength of local dental services. It's great to see further evidence that the extra £209 million we invested in NHS dentistry this year is already making a real difference on the front line.'

Ms Keen revealed that plans were in place for the Information Centre for health and social care to make available some information about the reasons why patients attend accident and emergency departments – on top of existing records on admissions via A&E.

 Posted on : Wed 29th - Oct - 2008