Scotland's 'dental deserts' reveal folly of SNP obsession with universal benefits

Dentists are a crucial part of the NHS but finding one in Scotland can be difficult or impossible, depending on where you live (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Anyone who has experienced serious toothache knows how unbearably painful it can be. So swift access to a dentist who can treat us when we are suffering and prevent decay from getting out of control in the first place is something we all should have.

However, according to a BBC News report, just 185 out of 717 practices in Scotland – all listed on the NHS Inform website – were able to offer NHS appointments to new patients within three months. In six areas dubbed “dental deserts” – Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, Inverclyde, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, and Shetland – no dentist was able to take on a new NHS patient within that time.

Liam McArthur, Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney, said that dental treatment “should be universally accessible – it cannot just be for those who can afford to go private”. He added that “a concerning number of dentists are no longer offering NHS services because of the low rates they receive for that work”.

The slow and steady erosion of payments to health staff is one reason why not just dentistry but many other parts of the NHS are struggling to fill vacancies. It is necessary for the NHS to compete in what is a free market for labour if it is to survive, which puts recent pay rises for doctors and nurses into perspective.

A similar problem has been affecting universities, with the money provided by the Scottish Government for ‘free tuition’ of Scottish students not covering the actual cost, forcing them to rely on overseas students who pay much more.

Many dentists attempt to balance the books with a mix of NHS and private patients. However, it’s clear that their obvious goodwill has been abused for years and some have simply had enough.

Once again, this raises questions about the SNP’s spending priorities. Maintaining universal benefits at a time when frontline services effectively no longer exist in places makes no sense whatsoever. Given the pressing need to help those who cannot afford to go private to get dental treatment, the Scottish Government needs to take bold, radical action – whatever the political cost.