Improving the oral and dental health of the Scottish population is the main aim of all dental services. Information collection, analysis and dissemination informs and monitors the actions of dental services and identifies the most successful treatments and programmes. Accurate information is essential to the operational planning and management of health services in Scotland. Like any other part of the National Health Service, the quality of dental information collected is vitally important for patient care." (From "Dentistry in the New Millennium, Scottish Executive, 2000)