Scottish Government confirms changes to dental contract
The Scottish Government has confirmed several changes to the NHS dental contract.
Under new measures, which will come into force on November 1st, fee-paying patients may pay more for treatment. The number of treatment codes used to determine payments for dentists will decrease to simplify the system and reduce workloads for dentists. The plans are part of an effort to make NHS dentistry more sustainable and encourage more NHS dentists to stay.
The SNP pledged to abolish NHS dental charges in its election manifesto in 2021 but public health minister, Jennie Minto, confirmed that fees for some patients will rise. Those who already pay for NHS dental care will pay more, but around 40% of patients will continue to receive free NHS treatment. She added that the proposals would provide greater freedom for dentists, encourage them to remain within the NHS and stabilise the system in the long term.
In addition to increasing charges for some patients, the government is reducing the number of treatment codes dentists use from around 400 to 45 to make the payment process simpler and more efficient for dentists.
The British Dental Association said that the reforms don’t go far enough and will be ineffective in tackling oral health inequalities and encouraging dentists to stick with the NHS. David McColl, chair of the BDA’s Scottish dental practice committee, said that there are minor improvements, but explained that they won’t solve the fundamental weaknesses of the system. He added that the government has failed to move away from the ‘drill and fill model,’ which was introduced in the last century. The BDA also highlighted dentist pay as another issue that won’t be resolved and questioned whether the reforms will do anything to ease access issues for patients.
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