Written question asked by Lord Lansley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 4 February 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 February 2009. It was answered by Ann Keen (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 February 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes his Department has made to the amount dentists are paid per unit of dental activity since the new contract for NHS dentistry was introduced in 2006.

Answer: The Department does not determine the value of units of dental activity (UDAs). The Department determines the level of the annual uprating to be applied to all annual contract values for contracts in place on 1 April each year between primary care trusts (PCTs) and dental providers for the provision of primary dental care services, based on the recommendations of the independent Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body.Any changes in the level of services expected under the terms of those contracts, whether measured by a specified number of UDAs or other service measures, are a matter for local agreement between the individual PCT and dental provider. The overall value of new contracts for primary dental services awarded in-year, and the associated service levels, are determined locally by the individual PCT which commissions the services.

Secondary information