Kick in the teeth: Cole-Hamilton challenges First Minister on state of NHS dentistry

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today challenged the First Minister over increases to NHS dentistry charges and revealed that more than 136,000 calls have been made to emergency dental care lines by those unable to register with an NHS dentist.

From 1st November, a revised payment system for NHS dental treatment will see prices for patients increase. An adult patient receiving a single surface filling will now pay £12.72, instead of the current £8.80. The cost to the patient of a single tooth extraction appointment will also increase from £14.76 to £28.84.  The cost of a basic acrylic denture will increase from £70 to £117.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat investigation into emergency dental care lines, for those not registered with an NHS dentist, has also revealed that across the seven health boards that were able to provide data, there have been more than 136,000 emergency calls since 2019, including 15,756 calls to NHS Fife last year alone.

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Vast numbers of people are being forced to call emergency dental helplines because they can’t find an NHS dentist.

“An investigation I’m publishing today shows that happened almost 16,000 times last year in Fife alone.

“That's hardly surprising given that there is just one Fife practice accepting new NHS patients.

“Across Scotland, people are desperate, some even resorting to DIY dentistry.

“The First Minister’s Recovery Plan promised to abolish NHS dentistry charges altogether.

“They’re not going away, next week they’re going up. Some will double. And what the government didn’t tell you is that there are new charges for those emergency appointments and things like denture repairs.

“So, can I ask the First Minister, why are people paying more for less under the SNP?”