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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to train more people in (a) prosthetics and (b) orthodontics. [172396] Mr. Hutton: The number of training places in prosthetics and orthodontics has increased from 28 to 30 between 1996-97 and 2002-03 and the workforce review team annually reviews the need for increases in training for all the allied health professions. Information on the number of consultants and doctors in training in orthodontics is shown in the table. The Department has centrally funded two more training posts in orthodontics in 2004-05, bringing the total training posts in place to 31. The number of dentists electing to train in specialties like orthodontics is related to the number of undergraduates training as dentists relative to the demand for dental care. We have recently completed the first review of the dental workforce since 1987 and will shortly be announcing the results including the implications for the intake of undergraduates to dental schools in England. Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): dental staff within the Orthodontics and Prosthodontics-- England 1 Orthodontics _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 December 2003 All staff 509 501 504 513 506 508 522 n/a Of which: Consultant 153 153 157 161 154 161 178 176 Doctors in training 110 120 117 101 115 130 118 n/a _________________________________________________________________________________________________. n/a = Not applicable. 1 Data at 30 September 1997 to 2003 and 31 December 2003. Note: December 2003 data has been taken from the mini census which collected consultants only. Source: Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

172396; 421 c816W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Dental services Consultants Dentistry Training Prosthetics

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk