Staffing constraints are causing severe difficulties for Oban and Mull public dental services.
The strain it is putting on the services’ clinics run at Lorn and Islands Hospital and in Tobermory mean that health bosses have had to temporarily suspend routine care for adult patients.
As part of the announcement by Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) recently, it was stressed that emergency care services would carry on.
Argyll MSP Jenni Minto, who is also the Scottish Government’s dentistry minister, said she was disappointed to hear about the staffing constraints being experienced and has written to the HSCP to find out what is happening to resume the suspended services.
She said: "Whilst it is positive that emergency care will continue to be provided, patients will be rightly concerned about the knock-on effect this lack of services could have on their dental health.
"I know the constraints being experienced are not unique to Mull and Oban, however I have written to the Health and Social Care Partnership to ask what steps are being taken to ensure these clinics are back to operating as before as soon as possible."
Routine care, including check-ups, for registered children on Mull will still be maintained.
Also, Oban’s Special Care Programme, which includes those referred to the Public Dental Service with an additional care need, now only has limited capacity to accommodate patients who are referred to it.
An HSCP spokesperson said: "All referrals will be assessed centrally and prioritised based on each case. Patients will be assigned an appointment at the nearest available dental clinic."
"The HSCP will be reviewing the situation regularly to make sure that routine adult dental care services are resumed as soon as possible.
"All relevant stakeholders will be updated promptly regarding the resumption of the service."
For emergency dental care across Argyll and Bute, patients can contact the Dental Helpline at 08458 332 310 Monday through Thursday, from 0845 to 1630, and on Friday from 0845 to 1600. Outside of these times, patients can call NHS24 on 111.
Comments on Argyll and Bute HSCP’s Facebook page where the important announcement was made labelled them as "absolutely shocking" and "utterly appalling".
Another said "Absolutely disgusting, and why is the MSP not doing something about it this?"
Last August we reported concerns from Mull Community Council about people getting their teeth treated on the island. The community council was taking their worries to the HSCP after a number of people got in touch.
Tobermory has just one dentist, meaning many people were having to travel to Oban for appointments. The island used to have a mobile van but that was stopped. On Tiree, although it has a regular visiting dentist, 75 per cent of its population also travel to the mainland - some going as far as Glasgow to get check-ups and treatment.
Last year we also told how Argyll and Bute had been hit by a shortage of NHS dentists – with no space at all for new adult patients. Out of the 14 dental practices in Argyll & Bute HSCP, none are currently accepting new people to their registers.
A local campaign, urging the Scottish Government for help, was also sparked by The Hollies Dental Practice in Dunoon de-registering from NHS dental services to adults from September 30. 2023. A petition, Reinstate NHS Dentistry Dunoon & Cowal, has attracted more than 1,100 signatures so far.
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