Dentists demand Scottish Government help to avoid practice closure crisis

More than 400 dental practice owners, representing over 700 NHS surgeries and nearly three million patients, are demanding urgent support from the Scottish Government to ensure that Scotland does not suffer a complete collapse in dental practices as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

The dentists, who have created a new representative body to speak directly to government, want to receive parity with GPs, pharmacists and optometrists, who have continued to receive 100 per cent of their NHS salaries, plus extra financial support to install Covid-19 safety measures, while dentists were told to shut and only received 80 per cent of their monthly earnings.

The new SDPO, Scotland’s Dental Practice Owners body, said that as a result of a lack of financial support, 91 per cent of its members were unsure if their practices would reopen after lockdown, which could spark a dental health crisis.

The SDPO is also warning the Government’s plan to reopen dental surgeries would have a negative impact on NHS patients who would not be able to receive treatment that involves cleaning or filling teeth, while private patients would be able to access such services.

Dentist Fiez Mughal (left) and dental nurse Johanna Bartha (right) don their protective gloves and face shields. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

They have now written to health secretary Jeane Freeman and her junior minister Joe FitzPatrick demanding urgent financial support and clarity on the science being used to decide when certain aerosol treatments such as air, water and drilling can be used.

The letter states: “As a group we have had to take out business loans to help us support our businesses.

“Where other healthcare groups have been supported at 100 per cent, we have been expected to place ourselves in more and more debt. If a principal dentist were to lose their business and go bankrupt, then they would no longer be able to apply for a list number and may lose their General Dental Council registration and full livelihood. This in turn would result in the recurrence of unmet dental need in Scotland. We seek confirmation that the Scottish Government will support us not at 80 per cent of treatment, but at 100 per cent as per optometrists, pharmacists and GPs. We demand parity, fairness and therefore back pay. We also require additional funding for practice set up for face-to-face care as per the GPs who got £4,000 each.”

Without action, the letter says: “The potential of increased costs of PPE, loss of productivity and more fallow time allocated between patients could render practices financially unsustainable. The result of this will be the consequent reduction in the dental workforce with loss of staff, particularly therapists and hygienists and closure of practices.”

East Lothian dentist Gillian Leslie, a spokesperson for the new body, said dental practices were “closed without consultation” on 23 March and there had been a refusal to listen to the impact of that decision.

“Now we’re being told we can reopen, but only to see a maximum of ten emergency patients per day,” she said. “However, Health Improvement Scotland have advised all fully private practices that they can return to treating emergency or non-emergency patients with the correct PPE.

“Many, if not most, of Scottish dental practices have a mixed NHS and private client base. Therefore, the majority of patients will still be in the situation that they are in now. Patients will continue to be left with broken teeth, untreated gum disease, no oral cancer checks and loose teeth that otherwise could have been saved.

“Many will continue to be prescribed antibiotics. Additionally, dentists will be unable to catch up with the backlog of patients from the past 11 weeks.

“Urgent Dental Care Centres that were promised weeks ago still have not opened and it is a struggle to get patients seen in many health board areas.

“While our fully private colleagues recommence treating their patients, it does beg the question, where is the Scottish Government’s evidence base for stopping the majority of dental patients receiving the same?” She added: “Most dental practices will not survive on the current 80 per cent funding model, on re-opening. Our payment holidays will end, staff will be un-furloughed and the costs of consumables will increase.

“If we were given 100 per cent funding plus set up subsidies, as per other healthcare sectors, we would have a greater chance of survival. As it stands, 91 per cent of dental practice owners, when polled by the SDPO, thought they would either close or were unsure whether they could survive the current crisis.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The remobilisation of NHS dental practices is an extremely complex process and the health and safety of all dental patients and staff is the main consideration. The Scottish Government has listened to the concerns of dentists throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and established new measures to ensure the financial sustainability of NHS dental practices during this difficult and uncertain period, so they are ready to see their patients as soon as they are able.”