BDA say Scotland patient numbers misleading

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The BDA has claimed that the patient numbers released yesterday could be misleading.

NHS Scotland published figures relating to patient registration numbers across the country, with some areas boasting much higher numbers than others; in the North and North East around half of the population were not registered with an NHS dentist. However, Robert Donald, from the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said that the figures were misleading due to the recent revelations that patients had been duplicated because they were still registered with dental practices when they either left the practice or passed away.

Revelations surrounding the duplication of patient names and payments prompted efforts to tighten up the system and make records more accurate; however, many names are still thought to be duplicated. Donald said that until the errors had been ironed out, it would be impossible to gauge the actual percentage of people registered with an NHS dentist.

Donald also went on to mention the problem of lifelong registration in Scotland; the new system means that patients stay on a register even when they do not visit the dentist on a regular basis; this means that the patient registration rate may be high but the number of patients actually visiting their dentist could still be low. The figures are a useful indicator of general oral health across Scotland and access to NHS services; however, it is important that ministers realise that the most important thing is to monitor how many people are actually attending regular dental appointments. 

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