Key Points
-
Dental health of children from deprived areas is poor.
-
The UK Government has expressed its commitment to reducing inequalities in health and improving access to dental services.
-
Different schemes have been introduced in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for enhanced capitation registration payments to GDPs for young children from deprived areas.
-
Diverse area deprivation scores are used for targeting.
-
Many of the target group will be missed by the methodology and criteria employed.
Abstract
Objectives To compare different methods being used to determine eligibility for enhanced capitation registration payments, which were introduced in the UK in April 1998 with the intention of improving the numbers of children aged 0–5 years from deprived areas registering with General Dental Service practitioners.
Design Comparative study of the enhanced capitation registration payment schemes; data from a longitudinal study of Scottish children used to compare patient and dentist postcodes.
Outcome measures Published registration rates; levels of agreement between patient and dentist postcodes.
Results Quarterly registration rates for 3–5-year-olds show little improvement as yet; Scottish figures for 0–2-year-olds indicate a more substantial increase which may have been influenced by other initiatives. In Scotland, the degree of agreement between the deprivation scores of patient's and their dentist's postcode was less good among patients from deprived areas than for the sample as a whole.
Conclusions More detailed breakdown, using the same criteria as for the enhanced payments, may eventually offer more definitive results. Patient postcodes enable better targeting than practice postcodes, but both may omit a substantial number from the target group if area measures of deprivation are used.
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
Department of Health. The new NHS modern and dependable: a national framework for assessing performance consultation document. EL (98) 4, London: HMSO, 1998.
Department of Health. Saving lives Our healthier nation. London: HMSO, 1999.
White D, Anderson R J . Children's dental health under the capitation scheme. Community Dent Health 1996; 13 (Suppl): 21–48.
Monaghan N, Heesterman R . Dental caries, social deprivation and enhanced capitation payments for children. Br Dent J 1999; 186: 238–240.
Locker D . Measuring social inequality in dental health services research individual, household and area-based measures. Community Dent Health 1993; 10: 139–150.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tickle, M. The effect of changes in policy on GDS registration rates. Br Dent J 187, 317 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.440
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.440
