Kate Foster, Scottish Daily Mail Health Editor
23:25 February 19, 2024, updated 00:42 February 20, 2024
The number of desperate Scots being forced to carry out 'DIY dental treatments' at home using tools bought online has soared.
Patients suffering from chronic pain are treating themselves while struggling to get dental appointments on the NHS.
Others, facing long waiting lists, are traveling to India and Turkey for basic dental exams.
The shocking revelation comes amid an exodus of NHS dentists and controversial cuts to routine check-ups.
Charlotte Waite, director of the British Dental Association in Scotland, said: “Not a week goes by without new cases occurring.” These are scenes straight out of a Dickens novel, not something you'd expect to find in a wealthy country in the 21st century.
“This crisis in health services is causing desperate patients to take matters into their own hands or head overseas to seek the care they deserve in their own communities,” one patient said. After being on the waiting list for four years, he said he bought a dental tool on Amazon to remove plaque from his teeth. This is usually done by scaling and polishing.
Another patient said he was currently seeing a dentist in Goa, India, adding: “Ironically, the dentist we use is a trained and qualified dentist from Dundee Dental Hospital.” he added.
The same Scotsman said he was now traveling to Turkey for tests and treatment because his dental clinic had stopped providing NHS services.
Another had to undergo private treatment costing nearly £400 for X-rays, two fillings and a cleaning, leaving him short on food.
Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie revealed details of his DIY dental treatment and overseas travel after hearing from more than 300 voters.
This comes amid an NHS dental funding crisis that has been escalating for years. The number of NHS dentists on the high street has fallen by 8% from 3,038 in March 2020 to 2,791 in September 2022, according to the latest figures.
Almost half of Scots who are registered with an NHS dentist have not had a check-up in the past two years, according to recent figures. A survey by the British Dental Association also found that 83% of dentists in Scotland have treated patients who have carried out some form of DIY dental treatment since lockdown.
Mr Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, said: “These shocking reports expose the SNP's intolerable disregard for NHS dentistry.” No matter how much pain you're in, it's harder than ever to go to the dentist in Scotland.
“If the SNP continues to refuse to listen, NHS dentistry could disappear from Scotland. If the SNP continues to ignore this issue, people will resort to desperate measures like this. I'm worried that the number will increase.”
In today's Holyrood debate, the Lib Dems will condemn the failure of SNP ministers to fix NHS dentistry.
The service has been struggling for decades, with dentists claiming the fees they receive from the Scottish Government depend on providing high volumes of treatment at slim profit margins.
The issue came to a head during the coronavirus pandemic when dentists were forced to suspend practice, causing some practices to suffer financial losses and leading to dentists leaving the NHS. Reached.
More than a year's worth of NHS dental appointments have been lost in Scotland since lockdown. A total of 4.6 million were conducted from March 2020 to 2023, but based on previous activity this should be closer to 9.7 million.
Under a new agreement between the government and dentists, the standard period between NHS health checks has been changed from six months to 12 to 24 months. Patients with healthy teeth require longer intervals between treatments, which increases treatment costs.
Critics have expressed concern that this could lead to patients developing dental problems that could go unchecked for years.
