Patients pay the price for dental crisis - Alex Cole-Hamilton

The Lib Dems have a plan to end ‘dental deserts’

This is the challenge which is now facing a huge swathes of Scotland. NHS dentistry in Scotland is in crisis. Dentists are leaving the NHS in droves.

They are retiring early, with recent figures obtained by my party showing that since 2020, 334 dentists have retired, and only ten waited until the state pension age. Or, they are moving into private practice and patients are paying the price. In some parts of the country there isn’t a single NHS dentist accepting new patients. This isn’t just inconvenient, it’s causing real harm to people who are being left without the basic care they need.

It’s particularly bad in rural and island areas. A recent BBC investigation revealed that six Scottish council areas – including Argyll & Bute, Orkney, and Dumfries & Galloway – don’t have a single NHS practice able to take on new adult patients within three months. In these “dental deserts” people are being forced to travel long distances or pay for expensive private care just to maintain their oral health.

As my Lib Dem colleague and Orkney MSP Liam McArthur rightly said: “Toothcare should be universally accessible – it cannot just be for those who can afford to go private.” But the flawed funding system the SNP has implemented makes it nearly impossible for dentists in rural and island areas to provide NHS services without taking a financial hit. Certain treatments are loss-making unless delivered in high numbers, which is simply not feasible in areas like Orkney or Shetland. No wonder the British Dental Association (BDA) says NHS dentistry has been “in crisis for a generation”.

Last year the Scottish Government introduced a revised payment system for NHS dental treatments. The dental deserts suggest it hasn’t addressed the underlying issues, while making it more expensive for patients, with the cost of some procedures almost doubling. Many families are already struggling with the cost of living and this is the last thing they need.

The SNP’s failure to plan effectively for NHS dentistry has left us with a system on the brink and engaging with them on this issue has become worse than pulling teeth. In the meantime, patients are left in agony, waiting months for care that should be readily available.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats are not just sounding the alarm – we are offering solutions. We have a plan to end Scotland’s dental deserts and bring dentists back into the NHS. This includes overhauling the SNP’s failed NHS Recovery Plan, boosting workforce planning and cutting the red tape preventing qualified overseas dentists from working in Scotland’s NHS. At a UK level we also want to remove VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste to encourage better oral health from a young age and help prevent tooth decay.

NHS dentistry is a basic right and it’s time for the Scottish Government to fix the mess they’ve created. The solutions are there and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are ready to deliver them. No one should be left waiting in agony for basic healthcare, and it’s time ministers took this seriously – before it’s too late.

Alex Cole-Hamilton is the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and MSP for Edinburgh Western