No need for DIY dental work, says health boss

DESPERATE people are resorting to unsafe DIY dental work because they cannot get an appointment with a NHS dentist in Dumfries and Galloway.

The situation has become so bad that one councillor last week described NHS dentists as an “endangered species” in this region.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has now declared a dentistry emergency after two political groups submitted separate motions on the lack of dental provision for residents.

At last Thursday’s full council meeting, the Novantae Group tabled a motion which referred to rural areas such as Wigtownshire as being a ‘dental desert’.

Meanwhile, the Labour Group’s motion drilled into some shocking statistics, such as waiting times for adult extractions reaching 43 weeks and children waiting 42 weeks.

Lochar Councillor Linda Dorward said: “We’ve got 66 percent of people registered in Dumfries and Galloway with an NHS dentist and 95 percent in the whole of Scotland.

“This demonstrates a systemic failure in the NHS dental model and the financial instability of existing NHS dental contracts.

“This has created a two-tier system where those who can afford private treatment receive timely care, while those who cannot are left waiting often for years for NHS registration to open across the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

“This results in worsening oral health, increased emergency interventions and in some cases people resorting to unsafe DIY dental procedures. This situation widens rather than closes the region’s health inequalities gap.”

She added: “NHS dentists are becoming an endangered species in Dumfries and Galloway. And it’s our most vulnerable citizens and our most rural communities that are paying the highest price.”

Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor Richard Marsh added: “The situation is dire when you have your constituents travelling from Stranraer and Newton Stewart to Dumfries just for regular dental check-ups. The provision is failing.”

Councillors agreed to formally declare a dental health crisis in Dumfries and Galloway.

The leader of the council will also write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Angela Constance MSP, calling for Scottish Government intervention, and a detailed report will be sought from Dumfries and Galloway Integrated Joint Board

Meanwhile, health officials have stressed that emergency dental treatment will be provided in Castle Douglas, Stranraer, and Dumfries where necessary.

Gareth Marr, chief officer of Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, told councillors: “I absolutely accept there is a huge challenge for us across the the provision of dental care in terms of that registration but it is important to highlight that there’s quite a lot of work done in mitigation.

“There actually is dental capacity available in Dumfries and Galloway that’s currently not being used where we can provide access to unregistered patients for routine treatment, urgent treatment – and that is based across three of the areas: Castle Douglas, Stranraer, and Dumfries.”