Almost half of NHS dentist patients have not visited for two years, figures show

Almost half of patients registered with an NHS dentist have not attended in the past two years, figures show.

Data obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats in a freedom of information request to Public Health Scotland also shows 10% of those registered have not visited for more than a decade.

The Lib Dems say this shows Scottish Government ministers’ statements saying 95% of people are registered with a dentist are a “distortion”.

The figures include more than 2,200 patients who have not attended a dentist since the year 2000.

The data shows how many patients have not participated with their NHS dentist in certain lengths of time, with the figures being drawn from the end of January.

Some 46.9% had not participated within two years, with 23.7% not participating within five years.

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said a new recovery plan is needed for NHS dentistry.

He said: “For years, SNP ministers and parliamentarians have been serving up the great dentistry distortion.

“These new figures show that simply being registered with a dentist is not a measurement of accessibility. In reality, a quarter of people registered – well over a million people – haven’t seen a dentist in the last five years.

“One in 10 registered with a dentist haven’t had a check-up or any treatment for more than a decade.

“It’s ridiculous that the First Minister’s spin even relies upon patients who haven’t been to a dentist since before the Bush administration or the Sydney Olympics. That is not a mark of success.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “It is factually the case that more than 95% of the population is registered with an NHS dentist – and it is also hugely encouraging.

“It should also be noted that the two-year period referred to includes the time when dentists were working under restrictions and appointments were limited.

“We use a range of official published statistics to understand the position in dentistry and they all show a significantly improving picture since the relaxation of infection prevention controls (IPC) on the sector in April 2022.

“Official statistics published last week by Public Health Scotland show a significant recovery in NHS dental service provision from April last year, with over 3.8 million courses of treatment completed in 2022/23, an increase of more than 40% compared with 2021/22, when IPC restrictions were in force.

“In February 2022 we replaced the basic examination with an enhanced examination, so comparisons between pre and post-pandemic statistics must be treated with caution.

“This was a deliberate choice, listening to the voices of dentists that they required more time with patients and consider the quality of dental care as much as the volume.”