160,000 Scots spend over £100 on NHS dental treatments every year

Patient dental charges discourage people from seeking treatment and end up costing the NHS more in the long run, a leading dentist has warned.

Volunteer dentists with Dentaid, a charity which offers free dental work to people who can't get a dentist and other vulnerable groups.

Some 800,000 Scottish patients have spent more than £129m on treatments costing £100 or more in the past five years, according to figures obtained by JPIMedia Investigations.

In 2019 163,500 patients across Scotland spent £26.2 million on such treatments.

In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde more than 185,500 patients spent over £100 on treatment in 2014 to 2019, with these treatments costing more than £30 million in total.

In NHS Lothian 118,600 patients spent £18.5 million on treatments costing over £100, while in NHS Lanarkshire 113,800 people spent roughly the same amount.

In Scotland patients pay for 80 per cent of the cost of their treatment, up to a maximum of £384.

Charges usually increase every April, but this was paused in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has not yet taken place.

Some groups are exempt from charges, including children and those on universal credit.

Checkups are free.

Eddie Crouch, the chairman of the British Dental Association, which represents dentists, said charges “should never be a substitute for adequate state funding”.

He said: “Patient charges are designed to discourage attendance, and it’s exactly what they do best.

“Scotland enjoys higher NHS attendance rates than England thanks in large part to free check-ups. Costs provide reasons for patients to bottle up problems, and individuals and the NHS always pay more in the long run.

“Charge hikes should never be a substitute for decent state funding. It’s vital that the authorities do not follow England's lead, and turn patient charges into a cash cow.”

Non-urgent NHS dental services were paused in March and allowed to restart in a limited capacity from November 1.

Dental practices are among the essential services allowed to remain open under level four Covid-19 restrictions.

The Scottish Government said its NHS dental charges are “very low compared with the equivalent treatment in a private oral health care plan”, and emphasised that the percentage of people registered with a dentist has increased since 2007.

A spokesperson said: “All patients in Scotland are entitled to free dental check-ups – and NHS dental care is free to children and young people up to 17 years of age, and adults in receipt of certain benefits, such as pensioners in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit.

“NHS dental charges for people who do pay something towards the costs of their dental care are very low compared with the equivalent treatment in a private oral health care plan.

“The fee award for independent dentists was 2.5 per cent for 2019/20, in line with public sector pay policy in Scotland, which is subject to independent review. The increase in patient charge reflects the increase in fees paid to dentists.

“There are now a record 5.1 million people registered with a NHS dentist in Scotland - 94.2 per cent of the population compared to only 51 per cent in 2007 - which indicates that people are very satisfied with the level of access.”

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