Six Scottish areas are 'dental deserts'

Six Scottish assembly areas are “dental deserts” with nary practices capable to instrumentality connected caller big NHS patients wrong 3 months, BBC News probe has found.

Just 1 successful each 4 dental practices successful Scotland said they could connection NHS appointments to caller patients wrong that timeframe.

The British Dental Association successful Scotland said diligent entree issues are present a nationalist occupation and galore dentists cannot spend to bash NHS work.

The Scottish authorities said it recognised the challenges, peculiarly successful agrarian areas, but that it continued to supply fiscal enactment to enactment NHS treatment.

In August, BBC Scotland News contacted astir 900 dental practices listed connected the NHS Inform website to get a snapshot of the situation.

Of the 717 that responded, 185 offered NHS appointments to adults wrong 3 months. While lone 26 practices offered appointments wrong 2 weeks.

At the clip the probe was carried out, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Inverclyde, Orkney, Perth and Kinross and Shetland had nary dentists with NHS capableness for caller patients, portion conscionable 1 signifier successful Fife said it was registering NHS patients, with a waiting database of 3 months.

Three Scottish practices told BBC Scotland News they were registering caller NHS patients but that determination was a two-year waiting database for appointments.

And 5 practices said they had waiting lists of astatine slightest 1 year.

A full of 91 practices listed connected the NHS Inform website said they were present afloat private.

David McColl, president of the Scottish dental signifier committee astatine the BDA, said diligent entree issues were present wide with a “two-tier system” processing arsenic galore practices absorption connected backstage work.

He blamed attraction backlogs from the pandemic, recruitment problems and “inadequate authorities funding” with further betterment needed to marque the NHS “a much charismatic spot to work” for dentists.

Mr McColl, a dentist successful Glasgow alongside his BDA role, said diligent entree issues were present a nationalist problem.

He said: “We’ve ever had a occupation successful Dumfries and Galloway successful trying to enlistee dentists and present we person places similar Fife which are astir turning into a dental godforsaken with practices closing.

“I deliberation it’s a wide occupation present – we person Inverclyde is present a occupation with practices closing to NHS patients. It’s ever been a occupation successful the northbound of Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway but I deliberation we’re seeing the occupation spreading."

Dentistry successful Scotland has ever been a mixed economy. As autarkic contractors, ‘high street’ dentists are paid per attraction for the NHS enactment they transportation out, with patients besides charged a fee.

Health boards besides person a nationalist dental work (PDA) for those who are not registered with a precocious thoroughfare dentist.

But dentists are not obliged to transportation retired NHS enactment and galore volition person some backstage and NHS patients successful the aforesaid practice, portion immoderate take to beryllium afloat private.

In November past year, the Scottish authorities agreed a caller backing exemplary that saw an summation successful the fees dentists receive. It besides saw check-ups determination from each six months to 12.

The changes person been welcomed by dentists, nevertheless the BDA warns determination are important recruitment challenges and without further reforms much dentists volition determination distant from the NHS to backstage signifier which is much attractive.

Mr McColl said determination is present a two-tier strategy processing successful dentistry.

He said: “As acold arsenic dentistry is concerned, patients present privation things that the NHS cannot present - they privation teeth whitening, six-month smiles, consecutive teeth, achromatic crowns and achromatic fillings - these are things the NHS bash not provide.

“It’s up to the authorities to determine what the NHS is determination for, and what the NHS tin supply and person an unfastened transparent treatment with the assemblage and patients astir what the NHS tin deliver.”

In Dumfries and Galloway, the wellness committee appealed to the Scottish authorities for other funds to code shortages.

That has resulted successful 1 signifier successful Moffat taking connected caller NHS patients with each spaces present filled.

There person besides been moves to bring 12 dental students for an outreach facility.

In Annan, residents described the deficiency of dental entree arsenic a “nightmare”.

William Anderson hasn’t been to a dentist “in years”.

The 76-year-old said: “I deliberation determination should beryllium thing enactment successful place. What does it outgo for an assignment present and however agelong is it going to take?”

Shirley Kirkpatrick was de-registered erstwhile her dentist moved private.

“My dentist has gone backstage and you person to wage upfront,” she said.

“I don’t person the wealth for that truthful I person to spell to the dental infirmary successful Dumfries.

“I deliberation it’s ridiculous. Annan is simply a tiny municipality but everyone needs a dentist.”

David McColl, president of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said the Scottish authorities had delivered needed reform, "but we person been wide this can’t beryllium the extremity of the road".

He added: “The elemental facts are galore patients are incapable to entree NHS care, portion practices person vacancies they can’t fill. It is 2 sides of the aforesaid coin.

“Scotland needs a 21st Century work successful which dentists would take to physique a career. Ready to displacement the absorption from attraction to prevention.”

A Scottish authorities spokesperson said it recognised that successful immoderate areas, peculiarly agrarian ones, entree to dental services remained "challenging".

They said further fiscal enactment had enabled the opening of the caller country successful Moffat, which was capable to instrumentality connected an other 2,000 NHS patients.

They added: "Almost 1 twelvemonth connected from dental outgo reform, NHS dental services are responding good to the changes with the latest figures showing implicit 1 cardinal courses of attraction were delivered to patients successful the 4th ending June 2024."