Major Shortage In Number Of Scots Registered With NHS Dentists

Mon, 05 Nov 2007

New figures have revealed a drastic shortage in the number of people in Scotland registered with an NHS dentist .

According to the statistics from ISD Scotland, more than half of adults and almost a third of children are not registered.

The number of people who receive dental care from an NHS dentist increased by 0.3 per cent – between March and June this year, but the figures also showed that only 46.5 per cent of adults and 67.5 per cent of children were registered with an NHS dentist .

There were also wide regional variations recorded, with just 27.7 per cent of adults in the Highland area registered, compared with 55 per cent in Glasgow . Rates for children varied from 37 per cent in the Western Isles to 73 per cent in Tayside.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison commented: "While I am pleased that there have been increases in both child and adult dental registrations in the last quarter, we know there is a lot more work to be done."

Tory health spokesman Mary Scanlon added: "To have a third of all children and over half of adults not registered with a dentist is a disgraceful state of affairs."

"Over the past seven years there has been a fall of 45,644 children registered, and 81,695 adults ."
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