The British Dental Association has said there can be no complacency from the Scottish Government on the crisis in NHS dentistry, following yesterday’s debate in the Scottish Parliament, in which MSPs raised the heart-breaking case of a single mother going without food to pay for care, with others travelling hundreds of miles for access or embarking on ‘DIY’ dentistry.
The BDA’s own recent surveys found 83% of dentist respondents in Scotland had treated patients that had performed some form of DIY dentistry since lockdown.
Some reforms to the discredited small margin/high volume system NHS dentists work to were rolled out in November 2023. This system has been in crisis for a generation but proved undeliverable during the pandemic. Facing soaring costs, some practices were left delivering some NHS treatments at a financial loss.
The BDA had been seeking a decisive break from this system, and a move to a patient-centred, prevention-focused model of care. The Scottish Government refused to break with the overall framework.
The BDA stress that this must be the beginning, not the end of the road for reform, and that access, outcomes and inequalities need to be closely monitored.
David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “MSPs and patients across Scotland have sent a clear message: the Scottish Government cannot pretend it’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ on NHS dentistry.
“Recent reforms may ease problems, but Ministers can’t afford to take their eyes off the crisis in this service.”
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