Liberal Democrats have set out plans to end ‘dental deserts’

By Bill Heaney

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the SNP to finally end the crisis in NHS dentistry after his party revealed that almost 40 per cent of those registered with a dentist haven’t managed to see one in the past two years.

Scottish ministers have previously noted that 95 per cent of people are registered with a dentist. However, in response to a freedom of information request from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Public Health Scotland has now confirmed:

• 177,318 children and 1.8 million adults registered had not seen a dentist in the last two years. This totalled 39.5% of all those registered.
• More than 80,000 children registered had not seen a dentist in the last five years.
• More than a quarter (28.8%) of adults registered had not seen a dentist in the last five years.
• 574,387 adults registered had not seen a dentist in the last decade.

In October, the National Dental Inspection Programme found that more than a quarter of all P1 children have tooth decay, with children from poorer backgrounds at much greater risk of having dental issues.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, pictured left, said: “These figures are proof positive that being registered with a dentist is no measure of accessibility.

“An astonishing number of children and adults haven’t had recent dental check-ups or appointments. On the SNP’s watch, more than a quarter of P1 pupils are suffering from tooth decay and people are resorting to drastic measures like DIY dentistry, purchasing tools off Amazon to do the job themselves.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats were instrumental in introducing free dental checks, but SNP ministers are unpicking all that good work.

“Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to end dental deserts and bring back local NHS dentists. We need to see ministers rewriting their failed NHS Recovery plan, prioritising workforce planning and boosting the number of dentists taking on NHS patients.”