Scottish Labour has urged the government to improve access to ‘life-saving’ dental checks as data shows that Scottish dentists made more than 1,000 referrals related to cancer in 2023-24.
The number of referrals made varied significantly between different Scottish health boards. Scottish Labour suggested this means that the chances of a cancer being identified may depend on a patient’s location.
Ayrshire and Arran reported 159 urgent suspected cancer referrals in 2023-24, which had risen from 71 in 2019-20. Similarly, the number increased from 64 to 139 in Dumfries and Galloway, and from six to 159 in Tayside.
Some areas saw a decrease in cancer referrals during the same period. For example, the number fell from 391 to 42 in Glasgow, and from 171 to just 23 in Fife.
Spokesperson Paul Sweeney said: ‘Dentist checks have a life-saving role to play in the screening programmes that help us identify cancer early and treat it.
‘There are too many cases of late cancer diagnosis and delays in starting treatment that are causing preventable and premature deaths. This is why it’s all the more worrying that one in three Scots are struggling to access dentists, especially in the poorest areas.’
He added that Scottish Labour would ‘end the postcode lottery in access to NHS dentistry’ by incentivising newly-qualified dentists to work in the areas with the highest demand.
‘Being registered with a dentist is no measure of accessibility’
Ministers have previously noted that 95% of Scottish people are registered with a dentist. However the figures suggest the proportion who have visited their dentist is much lower. Of those registered, 177,318 children and 1.8 million adults had not had a dental appointment in the past two years. This was 39.5% of the total.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘These figures are proof positive that being registered with a dentist is no measure of accessibility.
‘An astonishing number of children and adults haven’t had recent dental check-ups or appointments. On the SNP’s watch, more than a quarter of P1 pupils are suffering from tooth decay and people are resorting to drastic measures like DIY dentistry, purchasing tools off Amazon to do the job themselves.’
A spokesperson for the Scottish government responded to the criticism of its approach to NHS dentistry. They said: ‘Almost 95% of the population are registered with an NHS dentist and 60% of those – 3.1 million people – have seen a dentist in the last two years.
‘Our significant and continued investment in NHS dentistry is supporting high volumes of treatment and ensures more time is spent with patients through enhanced examinations, with 2.6 million being completed between November 2023 and September 2024.’
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