NHS patients waiting up to a year for dental treatment in Scotland
A Freedom of Information Request from Scottish Labour has revealed the extent of the "dentistry crisis" in the country
The length of time people are waiting for dental treatment in Scotland is being described as “unacceptable” by Scottish Labour.
A Freedom of Information Request from the party has revealed patients in NHS Grampian are waiting up to a year for surgery.
There was also huge increases in the average wait time in NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Of the 14 health boards in the country, seven responded to the information request.
FOI reveals extent of "dentistry crisis" in Scotland
In 2019/20, the average wait for oral and maxillofacial surgery at NHS Grampian was 22 weeks but figures from 2023/24 show patients have waited around 51 weeks for an appointment - a 132% increase.
In responses from NHS Grampian and NHS Dumfries and Galloway, the figures supplied referred to "oral and maxillofacial surgery" which can span across the mouth, jaw, face and neck.
NHS Lanarkshire saw waits increase from 2.5 weeks on average to 44 weeks in 2022/23 for public dental surgery - the most up-to-date figures provided by the health board.
Ayrshire and Arran waits increased from 12 weeks in 2019/20 to 37 in 2023/24 while NHS Borders went from 13 weeks on average to 34.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway patients waited seven weeks in 2019/20, but 16 weeks in 2023/24, while Greater and Glasgow Clyde increased from 18 to 29 weeks.
In NHS Tayside, the average wait increased from 2.5 weeks in 2019/20 to 9.7 in 2022/23. Figures for the following year were not supplied by the health board.
The Scottish Government has said it was supporting dentists through its plan for recovery from the pandemic.
Patients being "left in pain for months on end"
Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney warned of a "dentistry crisis" as patients struggle to access essential oral healthcare.
He said: "Scotland is in the grips of a dentistry crisis, from the collapse of local NHS services to the soaring waits for surgery.
"Patients are being left in pain for months on end waiting for essential dental surgery because of the SNP's disastrous incompetence.”
Addressing long waits is part of £1bn NHS recovery plan
Public health minister Jenni Minto said: "We continue to work closely with NHS boards to maximise capacity and reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment. This includes targets to address long waits and delivery of our £1 billion NHS recovery plan.
"We are seeing significant recovery in NHS dental service provision since infection restrictions were lifted, with 3.8 million courses of treatment in the 12 months to June 2023 - an increase of 27% on the previous year.”