Dental crisis raised with health minister

NEW information has emerged showing that 40 per cent of adults in the region are not registered with an NHS dentist.

And in the space of a year, 3000 more adults have lost their registration.

The issue was raised in the Scottish Parliament last week by South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth, who demanded answers from Health Minister Jenni Minto.

Speaking in the chamber, Mr Smyth said: “The reality is that the registration rate is not just the lowest in the country; it is getting worse.

“Nearly 3000 fewer adults are registered than there were at this time last year, so it is pretty clear that the Government’s current approach is simply not working.

“Does the minister recognise that, had the Government acted on the warnings from NHS Dumfries and Galloway, more than five years ago, that a crisis was looming, my constituents would not have had to go private to get dental healthcare?"

Afterwards, he added: “Jenni Minto said the dire situation we’re seeing is being replicated across the UK but that’s little comfort to the many people unable to see an NHS dentist.

“I have raised this issue repeatedly but the Government continue to fail to face up to the scale of the problem.

"It is only a matter of time before no adult in our region has NHS dental care."