This bulletin from the NHS Information Centre provides an overview of NHS prescriptions written by dentists and dispensed in the community, based on data from the Prescription Services division of the NHS Business Services Authority.

The key findings presented are as follows:

• 5.1 million prescription items, at a Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) of £12.4 million, were prescribed by dentists and dispensed in the community In 2010

• There has been a 4.8% rise in prescription items and a 19.7% rise in NIC compared to 2009

• Prescribing of Controlled Drugs (CD; Schedules 1-5) by dentists represented 0.09% of all CD items and 0.01% per cent of the total NIC for CDs in 2010