ABSTRACT
Prior to 1921 the dental profession was not formally organized and, whilst there were training courses, many practitioners had learned their trade as 'apprentices' and lacked theoretical or medical education. The General Dental Council is charged with the responsibility under the Dentists Act of supervising education and examination of dental undergraduates and dental auxiliaries in the UK. Statistics demonstrating how the 27,068 registered dental practitioners are currently employed are difficult to come by, especially as some dentists will work in more than one category. Before the National Health Services Act introduced the concept of free health services, dental treatment was funded privately and, inevitably, the standard of dental health was low. Over the years there have been several attempts to establish private dental health insurance schemes, but these have not been successful. It is sometimes necessary to make adjustments from year to year to compensate for changes in practice expenses.
