Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker has warned that communities across Fife continue to face a crisis in access to NHS dentistry, with practices closing or cutting back on NHS services.

Speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate on NHS dental access, Ms Baker said she is being contacted by constituents from across Fife who are struggling to find an NHS dentist or are being pushed into expensive private treatment.

She said: “For years, people in Fife have been telling me they cannot register with an NHS dentist, and some have been left with no option but to pay privately or go without care altogether. That is completely unacceptable and goes against the founding principle of the NHS of free care at the point of need.

“The Scottish Government has not done enough to improve the situation. If people can’t get appointments, oral health will deteriorate, and that will hit the NHS with even higher costs later on.”

Claire Baker MSP outside a closed dental practice in Kirkcaldy

placeholder image — Claire Baker MSP outside a closed dental practice in Kirkcaldy

During the debate, Ms Baker highlighted figures showing across Scotland 1.8 million adults and 177,000 children who are registered with an NHS dentist have not been seen in the past two years, and 28% of registered adults have not had an appointment in five years.

While welcoming the opening of a new dental practice in Dunfermline, she said it had to be seen within the context of the number of closures in recent years:

“I know how much demand there is in Dunfermline, and I understand there are plans for Leven and Glenrothes. But for every new practice, there are others reducing NHS provision or shutting altogether. The Scottish Government needs to act now to make NHS dentistry accessible again.”