Manx Care has confirmed it does not hold information on how many patients allocated to an NHS dentist have gone on to attend an appointment.
In response to a Freedom of Information request, Manx Care revealed only individual dental practices hold attendance data.
The clarification comes in response to a Freedom of Information request seeking to establish how many of the 6,469 patients allocated to a dentist between May 2025 and January 2026 had actually been seen, and whether they were treated at their preferred practice or within their preferred region.
In its reply, Manx Care cited section 11(3)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act, saying it does not hold, and cannot reasonably obtain, the information requested.
The organisation said its role ends once a patient is successfully allocated from the central waiting list to a dental provider and the practice confirms acceptance.
Attendance Data
Manx Care explained that while it maintains the NHS dental waiting list and records patient preferences for region or practice, it does not collect appointment or attendance information.
That data is held by each dental practice and is not routinely shared unless there is a specific reason to request it.
The organisation said it has already notified practices that an audit will take place in April 2026 to check whether newly allocated patients received an initial examination by March 31. The audit will involve staff visiting practices and results will be published.
Manx Care added that the number of unique patients being seen by practices has “increased substantially”, which it says indicates that patients are receiving appointments.
Updated Allocation Figures
The FOI response also provided updated figures following an earlier request (reference 5223621).
Between May 2025 and the end of January 2026, 6,909 patients had been allocated to dental practices, an increase on the previously reported number as more acceptance confirmations have been returned.
Of these:
- 445 patients (6%) stated a preferred dental practice;
- 231 of those (52%) have so far been accepted by their preferred practice;
- 4,885 patients (71%) stated a preferred region;
- 4,795 of those (98%) have been accepted by a practice within that region.
Manx Care noted that not all practices have taken new NHS patients, and some have already reached their allocation quota.
In such cases, patients may be offered an alternative practice. There is no formal registration system or catchment area for NHS dentistry on the Island.
The waiting list continues to change daily as new patients join, allocations are made, and practices return unaccepted cases.
Patients may be unaccepted for reasons including being unreachable, having moved off‑island, being deceased, or due to a previous breakdown in the patient–practice relationship.