Dumfries and Galloway's NHS dental registration rate is the worst in Scotland

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Dumfries and Galloway has the worst NHS dental registration rate in the whole of Scotland. And the number of people who have seen an NHS dentist has fallen by around 2,000 in the past three months.

The figures, released by Public Health Scotland, come on the back of a number of practices across the region, either closing or de-registering NHS patients.

South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, said: “These figures are stark but, sadly, given just how many practices across the region have stopped providing NHS services, they will come as no surprise to the many people who have been forced to either pay privately, or simply go without because they can’t afford it. “NHS dentistry in Dumfries and Galloway has been, and remains, in crisis. “The Scottish Government has completely failed to wake up to the growing dental crisis. “Unless they face up to this crisis in our area, it is only a matter of time before no adult in our region has NHS dental care. “It is the privatisation of the NHS through the backdoor.” The data from Public Health Scotland reveals that as of the end of September, 94,913 people in Dumfries and Galloway were registered with an NHS dentist – equivalent to 63.8 per cent of the population.

The next lowest rate is in NHS Highland, where 83 per cent of the population are registered. The national rate is 94.6 per cent.