Press release
Dental Results GP Patient Survey – July to September 2012
Today, the Department of Health have published dental access statistics, on findings from the first wave of results from the GP Patient Survey (conducted between July and September 2012).
A summary report comparing these results to the previous year (July to September 2011) is published alongside.
**Headline figures of the Department of Health **
GP Patient Survey Dental Statistics:
- 1.4 million adults contacted, 475,000 replies received with a response rate of 34.8%.
- Of all respondents asked, 60% stated they have tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years.
- Of those that tried to get an appointment in the last two years, the success rate in getting an appointment was 94%.
- Success in getting an NHS dental appointment was lower for those going to a practice they had not been to before, younger adults and for ethnic minorities.
- 83% of respondents who tried to get an appointment in the last two years rated their NHS dental experience as positive (47% very good and 36% fairly good);
- 40% of adults did not try to get an appointment with an NHS dentist in the last two years, 22% had not tried at all and 18% last tried over 2 years ago.
- The main reason given for not trying to get an appointment was “not needed to visit the dentist” which was mentioned by a fifth of adults (20%) who did not try.
- 38% of those who did not try to get an NHS dental appointment gave private dentistry as the reason, 19% stating they prefer private dentistry and 18% staying when their dentist move from NHS to private.
- 14% of the respondents who didn’t try to get an NHS dental appointment gave their reason as “I didn’t think I could get an NHS dental appointment”.
Full Department of Health analysis, including a summary report is available on the Department of Health website.
Main GP Patient Survey results are available on the Department of Health website.
Published 13 December 2012