MSP CONCERNED AS NUMBER OF PEOPLE ACCESSING DENTISTS DECLINES

By Lucy Ashton

Jackie Baillie has raised the alarm over a ‘growing crisis’ in dental care, as statistics show that thousands of Scots in the most deprived areas, including those within the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde region, which includes West Dunbartonshire and South Argyll, have not seen a dentist in over two years.

Statistics published by Public Health Scotland have revealed that less than half (45.1 percent) of adults from the most deprived areas have seen an NHS dentist over the last two years. Over half (56.4 percent) of adults from the least deprived areas have been treated in that time period.

The clear inequalities are only starker in terms of children, with only 55.3 percent of children from the most deprived areas being seen by a dentist over the last two years compared to 73.1 percent of children from the least deprived areas. 

This yawning inequality has grown against the backdrop of a colossal drop in the number of registered patients seen by NHS dentists in the last two years when compared to before the pandemic (30 September 2019).

It has previously been estimated that around 3.5 million NHS dental appointments have been lost in Scotland since the first lockdown, driven by ongoing restrictions placed by the Scottish Government on dentists.

In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which covers West Dunbartonshire, less than half of adults had seen a dentist in the two years prior to September last year. The figure has been steadily falling over the past decade.  In September 2011, this stood at 79.3 percent of adults.

The trend is replicated in children with 61.7 percent having seen a dentist within two years at September last year. This had fallen from 82.8 percent in September 2019.

With NHS dentists under increasing pressure, Scottish Labour has said that it is clear that the SNP has failed to restart dental care in Scotland and has presided over a shocking rise in dental inequality.

Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie spoke during a debate on the dental crisis in parliament last week in which she reported how people were being asked to pay a deposit for treatment.

She is concerned that privatisation of dental care by the back door is going to result in people from more deprived areas, such as West Dunbartonshire, being unable to afford treatment.

She said: “It is now clear that the SNP’s catastrophic failure to support Scottish NHS dentists has led to a shocking rise in dental inequality which is impacting on people locally.

 “We know already that the very existence of NHS dentistry in Scotland is on the line, with the current funding model leading to privatisation by the back door, but now we have the proof that thousands of Scots have not been seen by dentists for years.

“That those from poorer backgrounds, including people in my Dumbarton constituency, particularly children, are less likely to have received treatment is nothing short of a national disgrace.

“This cannot be allowed to continue.  Humza Yousaf [the Health Secretary] must wake up to the crisis facing NHS dentistry before it reaches the point of no return.

“Dental care in Scotland cannot be allowed to become the privilege of the few who can afford to go private.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the Health Secretary [Humza Yousaf, right] to stop hiding behind the pandemic and take “immediate radical action” after newly released figures show that only 69.8% of A&E attendees were seen within the 4-hour target.

Public Health Scotland data for the week ending February 20th shows 1,749  patients waited more than 8 hours to be seen, and 627 waited for more than 12.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:  “These numbers are shocking. Let’s be clear, this is what 15 years of SNP mismanagement, poor workforce planning and lack of vision produced. Exhausted staff and patients waiting interminable queues. 

“It is unacceptable that almost one third of patients are not seen within four hours. Last week, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that in 2021, 500 people had died while waiting to be seen in A&E.

“The SNP/Green government voted down our staff burnout prevention strategy, and still haven’t responded to our proposals for a health and social care staff assembly. They are watching this crisis go by without doing what is needed.

“NHS patients and staff are in dire need of new hope. The Health Secretary must stop hiding behind the pandemic and deliver the immediate radical action that is so needed.”

• New Scottish Liberal Democrat analysis has shown that 295,000 scheduled operations have now been lost to the pandemic and the party has called for an urgent new Burnout Prevention Strategy for NHS staff as the backlog continues to grow.  In January only 16,044 operations were scheduled in the theatre system – more than 10,000 below pre-covid levels of NHS activity.