Enhancing dental attendance rates for children from deprived areas in the UK.
OBJECTIVE
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.


METHODS
Comparative study of the enhanced capitation registration payment schemes; data from a longitudinal study of Scottish children used to compare patient and dentist postcodes.


METHODS
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.
Davies
J A
JA
Dental Health Services Research Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee Dental Hospital and School.
D002204:Capitation Fee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom