Scotland: child registrations above 90%
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- Published: Thursday, 02 February 2017 07:49
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Child dental registration rates in Scotland are now above 90% in all areas. Of the 4.9 million people registered only 3.5 million were seen by an NHS dentist in past two years. The BDA’s Robert Donald, of the SGDPC said there are nearly two million Scots who are not getting the NHS dental treatment, “The Scottish government must stop boasting about ‘record breaking’ registration rates.”
Official statistics published by ISD Scotland show the percentage of under-18s registered with a dental surgery now stands at between 91% and 92% across all areas, figures show. The report found there was no longer any significant differences in registration rates between children living in the most and least deprived areas. Children living in the most-deprived areas are now just as likely to be registered with a dentist as those in more affluent parts of the country.
Since 2010 registration in Scotland has been permanent, whether the person attends or not. So figures are also released which show the numbers who have attended in the past two years. Overall, 4.9 million people, or 92% of the Scottish population, are registered with an NHS dentist, but of that total, only 3.5 million (72%) were seen by an NHS dentist in the two-year period up to the end of September last year. This is a 38% increase from the 2.6 million who did so a decade previously. But the percentage of patients who saw a dentist within the last two years has shown a “steady decline” from about 99% between September 2006 and March 2008, to 84% in September 2010 and now 72% in September 2016.
Statisticians explained: “Although general registration numbers are increasing, the participation rate is falling. “This is because although the number of patients registered with an NHS dentist has increased since March 2007, not all of these patients were seen by a dentist within the previous two years.”
The British Dental Association Scotland has expressed its dismay as new figures show that 1.8 million Scots are missing out on NHS dental care. It said that the Scottish government has been quick to claim the new figures as a success story. However, the data reveals that 1.4 million registered patients have not actually seen an NHS dentist within the last two years. Unregistered Scots bring the volume of NHS non-attenders to close to 2 million.
With oral cancer on the rise the BDA has called for the Scottish government to do more to boost participation among adults in deprived areas. The European age-standardised oral cancer incidence rates for both men and women are significantly higher in Scotland, at 16.8 per 100,000 compared with 12.4 in England, and 11.9 in Northern Ireland.
Robert Donald, Chair of the BDA's Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: "The Scottish government must stop boasting about ‘record breaking’ registration rates. The facts are nearly two million Scots are not getting the NHS dental treatment they are entitled to. Scotland can take pride in what it’s achieved when it comes to fighting decay among children. Now Ministers must show some of the same determination to get adults, particularly those from deprived communities, to attend. Our oral cancer is on the rise and early detection is key. It’s not enough to get high-risk adults on our books or on some government spreadsheet. We need real support to get these patients in our chairs.”
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