Introduction

The effects of ending patient registration have been exaggerated for political purposes, according to Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft.

Appearing at a Health Select Committee hearing on dental services this month, Dr Cockroft said that patient registration was not essential for providing patients with continuity of care. 'I think continuity of care has been exaggerated for political reasons,' Dr Cockroft told the committee.

Patient registration was introduced in 1990 and abolished as part of the Government's 2006 dental reforms.

Dr Cockroft, who practised as a dentist for 27 years, rejected a claim by Anthony Halperin, Chair of the Patients Association, that registration was 'vital' for continuity of care.

Dr Halperin, a dentist, said: 'Patients do care about seeing the same dentist and ongoing registration is vital. Under the new arrangements seeing a dentist is like going into a supermarket and starting all over again.'

But Dr Cockroft argued that ongoing relationships did not depend on registration. 'I practised for 15 years when there was no registration and my patients still regarded me as their dentist,' he said.

Health Select Committee member Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat, Romsey), suggested that registration had been abandoned so that the Government could fulfil its manifesto pledge that everyone could have access to an NHS dentist.