Request

You asked us:

Please provide the number:

• of courses of treatment given to
  i. all patients
  ii. children under 18 years of age,
  iii. paying adults, and
  iv. exempt adults

in NHS dentistry across England by month, from January 2019-present.

-UDAs delivered in NHS dentistry across England by month, from January 2019-present.

Response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information and notes explaining it is attached.

Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

This report contains the details from FP17s processed by Charge Band in England in the reporting year 2019-Present and excludes activity by Foundation Dentists. The information within the report includes the data items and descriptions listed below.

Year Month: Used throughout the system to identify the specific year and month that the data relates to, i.e. for forms, it would be the month that the activity was scheduled. This is in the format 'YYYYMM' e.g. 201804 for April 2018. In this instance, the year month runs from 201901 (January 2019) to 202404 (April 2024).

Band 1 FP17s: This is a count of the number of forms submitted which included a Band 1 treatment. This is based on the Treatment Category as recorded in part 5 of the FP17. It is a count of the number of forms scheduled including adjustments for amended and deleted forms. Withdrawn forms are not included in the total count of forms. This figure may be zero or negative if deleted forms have been processed. A Band 1 course of treatment covers an examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if needed, and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant.

Band 2 FP17s: This is a count of the number of forms which included a Band 2 treatment. This is based on the Treatment Category as recorded in part 5 of the FP17. It is a count of the number of forms scheduled including adjustments for amended and deleted forms. Withdrawn forms are not included in the total count of forms. This figure may be zero or negative if deleted forms have been processed. A Band 2 course of treatment covers everything listed in Band 1, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or removal of teeth.

Band 3 FP17s: This is a count of the number of forms submitted which included a Band 3 treatment. This is based on the Treatment Category as recorded in part 5 of the FP17. It is a count of the number of FP17s scheduled including adjustments for amended and deleted forms. Withdrawn forms are not included in the total count of FP17s. This figure may be zero or negative if deleted forms have been processed. A Band 3 course of treatment covers everything listed in Band 1 & 2, plus any further treatment such as veneers, inlays, crowns, bridges, custom made appliances (but not including sports guards). Treatments such as veneers and braces are only available on the NHS if there’s a clinical need for them (not for cosmetic reasons).

Urgent Treatment FP17s: This is a count of the number of forms submitted which included a Band 1 urgent treatment. This is based on the Treatment Category as recorded in part 5 of the FP17. It is a count of the number of forms scheduled including adjustments for amended and deleted forms. Withdrawn forms are not included in the total count of forms. This figure may be zero or negative if deleted forms have been processed. Urgent treatment may be needed where a patient has toothache or swelling that suggests an infection of a tooth or gum , severe toothache or facial pain which is not controlled by taking over-the-counter painkillers, trauma of the face, mouth or teeth after a recent accident or injury, a permanent tooth being knocked out , bleeding after tooth extraction that cannot be controlled or serious swelling of the mouth or face which is getting worse.

Other Banded FP17s: This is a count of any other banded treatment other than Band 1-3 and Urgent. These comprise of- Regulation 11 Replacement Appliance, Free, Sedation and Only a Domiciliary Visit FP17s.

UDA Delivered: The units of dental activity scheduled for the time period selected from all performers.

Patient Charge Status: As recorded in Part 4 of the FP17, patients can be either Children (aged less than 18 years at the date of acceptance of their treatment), Non-exempt adults (patients where no exemption or remission category has been provided on the FP17. Such patients generally pay the full-calculated patient charge) or exempt or remitted (adult patients where a reason for exemption, full remission or partial remission from payment was recorded on the FP17).