The number of patients who saw National Health Service (NHS) dentists in England has declined since the start of a contract that was intended to broaden access, according to a report on Dentistry.co.uk.
Citing government figures, the report said that 55.8% of the English population visited a dentist in the 24 months before April 2006. That percentage dropped to 52.7% in June 2008, and then climbed up slightly to 54.2% in September 2009.
The NHS has set the goal of making its dentists available to anyone who wants to see one by March 2011. In 2006, it revised the contract it offered to dentists who participate in the government program, but many dentists were unhappy with the new terms and left.
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