Armed Forces: Dental Services

House of Lords written question – answered at on 18 May 2011.

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Photo of Lord Kennedy of Southwark Lord Kennedy of Southwark Labour

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the defence dental services.

Photo of Lord Astor of Hever Lord Astor of Hever Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip), The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

The defence dental services (DDS) oral health strategic plan provides the framework for improvement in defence dental services. The plan focuses on the tailored provision of dental treatment to service personnel at the earliest opportunity in their careers and the development of a clearly defined preventive pathway based on a risk assessment.

Project MOLAR is designed to provide an early oral health assessment and then rapid initial treatment of Army recruits, quickly improving their oral health. Introduced in 2006, this initiative has resulted in a significant increase in the dental fitness of the Army and the halving of the outstanding treatment need of the population. The success of the project is such that it will now be extended to the other services. The reduction in the need for operative treatment affords the opportunity to increase the number of preventive interventions, such as fluoride applications, which will in turn reduce future treatment needs in the population and helps to increase the number of personnel who are able to deploy on operations.

Robust performance management systems are also in place and these are supported by intelligent analysis of more accurate and detailed reports available since the introduction of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP). Furthermore, continued analysis of morbidity data from operational theatres informs policy changes and assists in the identification of the most effective treatment options for the population.

The dental fitness level of our service personnel is statistically at a higher level than has been previously recorded.

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