NHS dentistry services yet to return to pre-Covid levels, figures show

Scotland’s NHS dentistry services have yet to return to pre-pandemic attendance levels, according to new figures.

Public Health Scotland data shows the poorest in Scotland were attending at a lower rate than their more affluent counterparts, as well as at less than half the rate seen before the onset of Covid-19.

The average monthly attendance at primary care dental services in the year up to January 2020 was 7.5% of the most deprived.

But between December 2021 and February this year, that rate fell to 3.4%.

In comparison, 9.4% of those living in the most affluent areas attended dental services before the pandemic, and 4.6% in the most recent three-month period.

The figures also show that general dental services have yet to recover from the pandemic.

In February 2020, the month before the first lockdown was called, some 430,182 people attended general dental services.

In February of this year, that figure had dropped to 217,358.