A comparative needs assessment of the dental health of adults attending dental access centres and general dental practices in Halton & St Helens and Warrington PCTs 2007.
BACKGROUND
Dental access centres (DACs) were introduced in England at the turn of the twenty-first century in response to a growing problem of access to NHS dental services. DACs were expected to offer NHS dental care primarily to those patients that were unwilling or unable to attend 'high street' dental practice. At the same time, the new NHS primary care dental contract in England, introduced in April 2006, has been associated in some areas with access difficulties, with routine dental patients having difficulty accessing NHS dental care. In light of these changes, have DACs become an alternative provider of NHS dental services to patients seeking routine dental care?


METHODS
In summer 2007, a cross sectional dental epidemiological study was undertaken in Halton & St Helens PCT and Warrington PCT to compare the dental health and attitudes to dental visiting of adult patients attending DACs and neighbouring 'high street' dental practices.


RESULTS
The results of the study showed that DAC patients: were younger and from a more disadvantaged background than patients attending 'high street' practices; had worse oral health than 'high street' dental patients; experienced more frequent episodes of dental pain than 'high street' dental patients and were more likely to be dentally anxious; had different attitudes to dental health than their 'high street' counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests that the DACs in Halton, St Helens and Warrington are offering treatment to a different population of patients to that seen in neighbouring 'high street' practices and therefore the DACs are fulfilling the function expected of them locally.
Milsom
K M
KM
Consultant in Dental Public Health, Halton & St Helens Primary Care Trust/Honorary Senior Lecturer in Dental Public Health, University of Manchester, The Holloway, Runcorn. keith.milsom @hsthpct.nhs.uk
Jones
C
C
Kearney-Mitchell
P
P
Tickle
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D011331:Private Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D012923:Social Class; D013218:State Dentistry / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult