Dentistry in Fife has reached “crisis point” with not a single practice taking on NHS patients.
Coaltown of Balgonie couple Ian and Lilian Sloan are among hundreds of people anxiously seeking care after their dentist announced it would only undertake private treatments from November.
The town’s Saltire Dental Practice is the latest in the region to halt NHS work for adult patients.
It has cancelled all future NHS routine treatment and is instead offering a plan at a cost of £20 per month.
Thirty-two other Fife dentists have stopped NHS work since 2019, saying the cost of treatment is not matched by the fees they receive from the Scottish Government.
Ian, 77, contacted the Fife dental advice line to be told no-one is accepting new NHS patients.
And he was advised to contact the service once a month in case the situation changed.
He said: “There is no dentist and no way of putting ourselves on a waiting list to be allocated one.
“I feel like we’ve been shafted.”
‘Frustrated and angry’ at lack of NHS dentists in Fife
Similar problems exist across Scotland.
And Ian, a former Labour councillor for Glenrothes, said he was appalled.
“I’ve been receiving NHS dental care since the 1950s but suddenly it’s not available anymore,” he said.
“It should be our choice to continue 70 years of provision. We’ve paid our taxes and national insurance for many years.
“We feel frustrated and angry it’s been allowed to come to this.”
And he added: “We don’t believe in private medicine and we’re going to decline to go private.”
The situation emerged two months after Fife Liberal Democrats warned of “a ticking time bomb” of dental health problems in the region.
They said the number of NHS-funded procedures had plummeted and many people could not afford private treatment
‘We have a crisis in NHS dentistry’
Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Claire Baker said she was shocked at the situation.
“We do have a crisis in NHS dentistry in Fife,” she said.
“People are not able to register with NHS dentists and that makes a mockery of the promises made by the SNP Government before the election.”
Earlier this year, the British Dental Association said many practices were in danger of providing NHS dental care at a loss.
And it called for a new sustainable model of care by October 31 to avoid the collapse of NHS dentisty.
Scottish Government says situation is challenging but improving
The Scottish Government acknowledged NHS dental access was challenging in some areas.
A spokesperson said grant money had been provided to practices in Auchtermuchty, Leslie, Tayport and Newburgh.
The money goes to dentists setting up a new NHS practice or extending an existing one.
The spokesperson said: “We are confident the modernised system to be introduced through reform…will provide long-term sustainability to the sector and encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care.”
They said statistics showed an improving picture since the relaxation of infection prevention controls last year.
And they added: “Through a combination of payment reform and working closely with NHS boards on local solutions, we are confident we will continue to see the continuation of these trends.”
Conversation