Lengthy waiting times for dental patients in Scotland draw criticism

Dental Tribune UK

Thu. 10 October 2019

save

STIRLING, Scotland: Freedom of information requests by the Scottish Liberal Democrats have highlighted the extremely long waiting times for oral surgery that some patients have had to endure. The British Dental Association (BDA) has responded by calling on the Scottish government to “stop treating dentistry as an optional extra”.

Statistics obtained via the requests revealed waiting times of more than 120 weeks for inpatient oral and maxillofacial treatment, a length far beyond the 12-week target for surgery that the Scottish government aims for. One particular patient in the NHS Grampian area was found to have waited 243 weeks for a single outpatient procedure.

In a press release, the BDA pointed to huge problems filling consultant vacancies and continued underfunding of both primary and secondary dental services as key factors driving waiting times. According to the trade union, hospitals are facing an increasing number of referrals for tooth extractions, which adds to surgical waiting times. This is due to the lack of support for senior clinicians in high-street practice to supervise and train younger and less experienced dentists.

Dental Tribune UK and Ireland has previously reported on the National Dental Inspection Programme 2018 report from NHS Scotland, which investigated the existing oral health inequalities among children in Scotland. The average number of decayed, missing or filled primary teeth for children in the least deprived areas was 0.45 per child, compared with 1.92 for those from the poorest places.

Dr David McColl, Chair of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “Patients shouldn’t be waiting eons for life-changing surgery. These procedures can help restore both functionality and appearance to a patient’s teeth and mouth after cancer or serious injuries.”

“Years of under-investment and failure to support high-street practice are heaping huge pressures on our hospitals. Ministers can’t go on treating dentistry as an optional extra in Scotland’s health service,” McColl continued.

In response to the findings, a Scottish government spokesperson told the BBC: “We have taken decisive action to address the issue. Our waiting times improvement plan will substantially and sustainably improve waiting times.”

“We will continue to work with boards to ensure this additional funding delivers the substantial and sustainable improvements needed,” added the spokesperson.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Jersey patients waiting years for orthodontic treatment

ST HELIER, Jersey: Patients on the island of Jersey are having to wait up to five years for orthodontic treatment, according to local newspaper the Jersey ...

Scottish public health minister describes dental treatment waiting time as unacceptable

EDINBURGH, UK: Scotland’s Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe Fitzpatrick, has admitted that some dental patients are experiencing ...

UK government's increase in dental charges met with criticism

LONDON, UK: The British Dental Association (BDA) and Oral Health Foundation have both come out strongly against the UK government’s recent decision to ...

Rates of dental caries in children decline in Scotland

EDINBURGH, UK: According to the latest statistics, the oral health of children in Scotland continues to improve. Overall, a report recently published by the...

Study emphasises role of dental professionals in screening patients for chronic disease

LIVERPOOL/PLYMOUTH, UK: The connection between oral health and chronic disease has been increasingly supported by substantial evidence, revealing shared ...

Dental leaders seek to improve school meals in Scotland

GLASGOW, Scotland: The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has published its response to the Scottish ...

Study investigates television-based dental health promotion in waiting rooms

LONDON, UK: Rather than just sitting in the waiting room flipping through magazines, patients may be watching specially targeted health messages on the ...

Dental practice reopening plans revealed in Northern Ireland and Scotland

BELFAST, UK: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has not only brought with it the fear of infection, but has also caused great pain to dental patients who have had limited...

One in four patients would skip dentist for tooth whitening

RUGBY – Tooth whitening is becoming increasingly popular. Last week, UK health authorities voiced concerns about illegal and potentially harmful ...

Dental clinic attendance gap between rich and poor increases in Scotland

EDINBURGH, Scotland: Though a record proportion of the Scottish population have registered with an NHS dentist, statistics released by the NHS Scotland ...

Education

On-demand
webinar