Views are sought on NHS dentistry

Questionnaire will be sent out to 6,000 households in north-east this week

By Shona Gossip

Published:

Ray Watkins: “vital tool”

Health chiefs in Grampian are to carry out their biggest survey yet on people’s experiences of NHS dentistry.

More than 6,000 households throughout the north-east will be sent a questionnaire this week, asking about oral hygiene, how people receive dental care, and how they access emergency treatment.

A pilot survey by NHS Grampian earlier this year found the proportion of people registered with a private dentist in the north-east – 42% – is the highest in Scotland.

Another 37% said they were seen by the NHS, while 12% said they were unable to get any treatment at all.

No official system is in place to record the number of private dentist practices in the UK, so it is hoped the questionnaire will help officials gain an insight into how many people in the Grampian region receive such care, and how many of them would like to be transferred back to the NHS.

Ray Watkins, consultant in dental public health, said the survey would be a “vital tool” in identifying the areas in Grampian most in need of dental services, and for increasing the number of patients registering with NHS practices.

He added: “Since June 2007, there have been over 40,000 additional NHS (patient) registrations in Grampian, including over 25,000 new registrations in the 2008-2009 financial year.

“Planning permission was granted this year for five new, predominantly NHS dental practices, including new practices in Cove, Westhill and Elgin. Despite these improvements, the waiting list for NHS dental services remains high. I believe that this is because as more NHS practices open up, more people sign up to the waiting list for NHS treatment.”

The scarcity of NHS dentist places was shown earlier this year, when Cove Dental Care, in Aberdeen’s Cove area, opened. Within three weeks, more than 3,000 patients had signed up to the practice, with many travelling from outwith the city for treatment.

Mr Watkins said NHS Grampian was working hard to recruit more dentists to the area, and had already reached its 2010 target of having 300 dentists working in the region.

The survey will be sent out to randomly selected households across the north-east. A report of the results will be available early next year online at www.nhsgrampian .com/dentalservices