Dental Register Filling Up

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, has welcomed the news that that dental registrations across the Lothians have increased in the last year, following new statistics from ISD Scotland.

The number of adults registered with dentists in the Lothians is up to 667,052, climbing from 643,257 – part of a national rise from 3,880,815 in 2015/16 to 4,004,645 in 2016/17. The number of children registered across the Lothians also rose from 155,540 to 156,467 in the last year. The number of adults registered with an NHS dentist across Scotland is at 91.1%, up from 45.6% since the SNP came to power. The number of children registered has also increased from 66.6% under Labour to 94.1% under the SNP.

The total number of registered dental patients in Scotland is now at 4,975,850 – and the Scottish Government continues to take action to improve dental health across Scotland, including through the new Oral Health Improvement Plan and an investment of over £400 million in NHS dentists in the community. Gordon Macdonald has encouraged those who are not currently registered to sign up with their local dentist.

Commenting, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said:

“This is welcome news for Edinburgh and the Lothians and shows that efforts to increase the number of people receiving regular dental check-ups is paying off, with 667,052 adults and 156,467 children now registered across the Lothians.

“It is a huge boost to see more and more people using the excellent dental services that we have – and by doing so we are able to prevent potentially more damaging and costly treatments in future.

“Those that aren’t registered should sign up with their local dental practice to get the dental treatment now and in the years to come.

“The SNP has a strong record on dental and oral health – increasing the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist in Scotland from 45.6% under Labour to 91.1% now, and the number of children registered has grown by 27.5% under the SNP.

“Scottish Government funding and commitments have been a key driver of these improvements, which is why we now have nearly 5 million registered dental patients across the country. The new Oral Health Improvement Plan will only boost this further still.

“Programmes such as ChildSmile have proven effective in getting children the dental treatment that they need – and with more adults registering with practices across Scotland, the SNP is making sure there is plenty to smile about across Scotland.”