An NHS Information Centre report shows that adults who do not pay for NHS dental treatment account for a bigger proportion of complex dental treatments than paying adults.

Less than a quarter of treatments (9.0 million out of 39.2 million overall) performed by dentists in 2010/11 were carried out on non-paying adults, but this group accounted for more than half of all the complex courses of treatment (1.2 million out of 2.2 million in total), such as bridgework and dentures. One reason for this may be a lower standard of dental health among non-paying adults, according to NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2010/11.

The report brings together information on different aspects of NHS dentistry in England. It points to an increasing number of NHS dentists, NHS dental patients and also NHS dental treatments.

The number of treatment courses performed on the NHS rose 1.7% in a year to reach 39.2 million in 2010/11. 29.2 million patients (56.3% of the population) were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June 2011 – a 1 million increase on the 24 months to March 2006, immediately prior to the introduction of the current dental contracts.

The report reveals that 7.8 million child patients were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June 2011 and the number of child patients seen has increased each quarter since June 2008.

An increasing number of female dentists are working for the NHS, an increase of 800 on the previous year (22,800) and 43.5% of NHS dentists are now females.

The number of treatment courses that included a fluoride varnish has increased substantially, by 55.1% among children and 21.6% among adult patients.