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Welsh Government
Data Provider: Welsh Government NHS patients treated in a 24-month period (adults and children) by local health board

These statistics are based on patients treated by NHS dentists located in Wales (regardless of their country of residence).

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Area[Filtered]
Measure1
Measure[Filter]
24 months ending[Filtered]
Click here to sortNumber of all patients treatedClick here to sortPer cent of population treatedClick here to sortNumber of adults treatedClick here to sortPer cent of adult population treatedClick here to sortNumber of children treatedClick here to sortPer cent of child population treated
31 March 20101,659,25454.61,246,08751.9413,16764.9
31 March 20111,653,79754.21,246,73551.6407,06264.3
31 March 20121,675,90754.71,266,28452.1409,62364.8
31 March 20131,684,42754.91,276,17552.3408,25264.8
31 March 20141,687,09754.91,279,67852.4407,41964.9
31 March 20151,695,54155.21,287,23152.6408,31065.2
31 March 20161,700,72455.31,291,85652.8408,86865.5
31 March 20171,710,25455.61,297,31152.9412,94366.3
31 March 20181,718,98255.81,298,58452.8420,39867.6
31 March 20191,727,62856.01,301,12652.8426,50268.7
31 March 2020Some patients will have been treated before the introduction of the new health boards, i.e. before the 1st April 2019. <br />Care should be taken when using the data for these new health boards, until April 2021 when all patients will have been treated under the new health board boundaries.1,728,91856.01,296,88952.5432,02969.7
31 March 20211,520,16049.01,146,91846.2373,24260.3
31 March 2022980,20131.6732,20529.4247,99640.2
31 March 20231,331,44042.5981,45739.1349,98356.5
31 March 20241,419,44544.91,044,17641.0375,26960.5
31 March 20251,409,64644.51,032,99540.6376,65160.8

Metadata

General description

This StatsWales cube presents data for patients treated (adults, children and all patients) in a rolling 24-month period.

These statistics are based on patients treated by NHS dentists located in Wales (regardless of their country of residence).

Data collection and calculation

The data is derived from dental activity forms submitted for payment and processed by NHS Business Services Authority Dental Services.

‘Patients treated’ counts the number of unique patients that have been treated during the last 24 months; each patient is counted only once even if they have received multiple episodes of care over the period.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends that adults are recalled for check-ups at intervals of 3 months to 24 months depending on the individual’s oral health status. Therefore, when analysing adults treated, the primary statistical measure should be based on adults treated in a 24-month period.

This StatsWales cube presents data based on a 24-month period. Data is also shown for children for completeness and this allows for the total number of all patients (adults + children) treated to be measured.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the way dental services have been provided in Wales and therefore affect the data collected from the last quarter of the financial year 2019-20 and the full financial year 2020-21 onwards.

Patients treated within a 24 month period is affected by the change to health board boundaries, following Bridgend moving into the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board on 1 April 2019. The dataset counts unique individuals receiving dental services in the 24 month period. When an individual has received dental services more than once in the 24 month period in the same health board, only details of the last treatment would be counted in the dataset to avoid double counting. However, because data is collected over a 24 month period where the health board boundary changed, the same individual may be counted in Bridgend’s old health board (Abertawe Bro Morgannwg (ABMU)) and its new health board (Cwm Taf Morgannwg or Swansea Bay) depending on the date of the last treatment. For example, if a patient was treated in Bridgend in February 2019 and again in May 2019, they will be counted in the ABMU data for the March 2019 list but the Cwm Taf Morgannwg data from the June 2019 list. And if a patient was treated at Bridgend in March 2019 and has not visited a dentist since, they will be counted in the ABMU data for the March 2019 list, and the Swansea Bay data from the June 2019 list.
To give a more reflective figure for the percentage of patients treated (total, adults and children), population estimates of the new health boards have been created using additional data of patients treated in Bridgend after 1st April 2019 (sourced from NHS Business Services Authority). For example, data for July-September 2019 shows of the patients treated in Bridgend, 56% received a treatment after 1st April 2019 at Cwm Taf Morgannwg. Therefore, for the 24 months ending September 2019, the denominator for the new health boards is estimated as:
Swansea Bay’s eligible population = Swansea + Neath Port Talbot + ((0.44) * Bridgend)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s eligible population = Rhondda Cynon Taf + Merthyr Tydfil + ((0.56) * Bridgend)

Data for the 24 month period ending April 2021 will be the first time period where the boundary issue will not affect the data. Caution is advised when using the data for the time periods which overlap the health board boundary change.

Frequency of publication

Quarterly

Data reference periods

Data are shown for patients seen 2 years ending 31 December 2009 onwards

Users, uses and context

Please find this information in the related statistical publication, as per given weblink.

Title

NHS patients treated in a 24-month period (adults and children) by local health board

Last update

22 May 2025 22 May 2025

Next update

August 2025 (provisional)

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

Dental Services, NHS Business Services Authority

Source 2

Mid-year population estimates, Office for National Statistics

Contact email

stats.healthinfo@gov.wales

Designation

National Statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local health boards

Geographical coverage

Wales

Languages covered

English only

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

Weblinks

NICE guidance recommends that children are recalled for check-ups at intervals of 3 months to 12 months depending on the individual’s oral health status. Therefore, when analysing children treated, the primary statistical measure should be based on children treated in a 12-month period. All data on a 12-month basis is shown in the HLTH0504 StatsWales cube at the link here: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/General-Dental-Services/Current-Contract/nhspatientstreatedina12monthperiodforadultsandchildren-by-localhealthboard-patienttype

https://gov.wales/nhs-dental-services
https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2021-09/nhs-dental-services-quality-report-557.pdf

Statistical quality

Please find this information in the related statistical publication, as per given weblink.

Keywords

Dental; NHS Dental; Patients treated