Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal NHS dental claims fall by more than 50% in some areas

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today revealed that the number of claims for payment made by dentists for NHS appointments have fallen by more than 50% in some health boards since 2019, as he called on the Health Secretary to deliver a new recovery plan which will prioritise and support the dental sector.  

In the second of a series of stories highlighting the state of NHS dentistry in Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats analysed the number of NHS dental claims in all 14 health boards between 2019 and 2022. The analysis revealed that:

• Across Scotland the number of NHS dental claims fell from 5,583,137 in 2019 to 3,184,858 between January and November of 2022
• NHS Dumfries and Galloway saw a 55% drop in NHS dental claims, with claims falling from 139,988 in 2019 to 62,481 between January and November of 2022.  
• NHS Orkney saw a 64% drop in NHS dental claims, with claims falling from 20,149 in 2019 to 7,175 between January and November 2022.  
• NHS Shetland saw a 53% drop in NHS dental claims, with claims falling from 15,873 in 2019 to 7,510 between January and November 2022.
• All 14 health boards saw a decrease in the number of claims submitted between 2019 and the first eleven months of 2022.

Previous Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information requests revealed that in 2022 a dental patient found themselves waiting 146 weeks for inpatient treatment.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:   

“Today’s revelations are a painstaking indictment of this government’s failure to support NHS dentistry. Many will worry that dental work is only available to those who can afford to pay privately.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats previously discovered that some people have been so desperate they are choosing to turn to DIY dentistry. That is nothing short of appalling.  

“Our party was instrumental in bringing forward free dental checks in Scotland and in pressing for a new dental school to address dentist shortages, especially in more rural areas. Scottish Liberal Democrats are now calling for the government to rewrite its NHS Recovery Plan to sufficiently recognise dentists and reform funding structures so that dentists are encouraged to take on NHS patients without finding themselves out of pocket.”