Dental data sources and definitions

Information in this section is provided on the following:

General Dental Service (GDS)  is a combination of non-salaried and salaried dentists.  General Dentists are recognised as "High Street dentists".  Management Information and Dental Accounting System (MIDAS) is the GDS payment system, but it also holds information on dental registrations and treatments.

Community Dental Service (CDS)  Scottish Morbidity Record 13 (SMR13) Community Dental Treatment Record.  This is a paper-based scheme that records treatments provided by community dentists.

Hospital Dental Service (HDS) Scottish Morbidity Record 01 (SMR01) and ISD(S)1.  SMR01 records data on inpatients and day cases. ISD(S)1 is an aggregate dataset that provides information on attendances at hospital. 

Procedural groupings - Table 3 (Top ten) - have been derived using the eSCRIPS classifications. 

Admission Types

Elective (planned) - this is also referred to as a waiting list admission.  An elective admission occurs when a patient is on an inpatient or day case waiting list and is admitted to hospital as planned.

Emergency - this is a serious occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action.  The patient may or may not be admitted through Accident and Emergency.

Inpatient - an inpatient is a patient who occupies an available staffed bed in a hospital and remains overnight whatever the original intention OR - at admission, is expected to remain overnight but is discharged earlier.

Day case - a day case is a patient who makes a planned attendance and requires the use of a bed or trolley in lieu of a bed.  The patient is not expected to, and does not, remain overnight.

New Outpatient - a new outpatient is categorised as a new outpatient at his first meeting with a consultant or representative following an outpatient referral. The meeting normally takes place at a consultant clinic but may take place outwith a clinic session at any location.

Referrals (Returns) - a referral is categorised as a follow up (return) outpatient at their second and subsequent attendances following an outpatient referral or by a patient's first and subsequent attendance following an inpatient/day case episode.

For more detailed information on inpatients, day cases, elective and emergency admissions, click here.