Fears have been voiced over the future of NHS dentistry in Dumfries and Galloway.
South of Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth slammed governments on both sides of the border for failing to act to stop the privatisation of services in the region.
Mr Smyth, said: “More and more dentists are de-registering NHS patients and the very future of NHS dental care in the region is now hanging by a thread.
“This latest blow for patients in Dumfries highlights the inadequacy of our governments’ response to this crisis. They have no ideas or plans to stop what is the privatisation of NHS dentistry in our region.
“Both governments have been warned this would happen but have failed to take adequate action.
“Unless they wake up to the crisis, I fear no adult in our area will have an NHS dentist. The region’s health and social care partnership has confirmed Blue Door in Dumfries is set to de-register a further 5,000 adult patients, having taking a similar approach with thousands of other patients last year.
It’s the latest hit to NHS dentistry with a number of practices across the region either closing or de-registering patients.
In November last year, Blue Door revealed that three of its five dentists were moving to private plan status. The other two continue to offer NHS services but their lists are full.
That meant more than 5,000 adult patients were de-registered at the start of this month.
The practice has now revealed plans to de-register a further 5,000 adults from the start of June.
Elsewhere in the region, two Castle Douglas dental practices closed in the space of 15 months, one in Newton Stewart also shut while a Gretna practice stopped taking on NHS work.
And Mr Smyth has also claimed a practice in Annan is cutting back on its NHS provision.
The region’s director of public health, Valerie White, said: “At present, access to NHS registrations is extremely limited.
“NHS Dumfries and Galloway continues to work to encourage and support dentists to provide NHS general dental services and is working closely with Scottish Government colleagues on these matters.
“However, lack of dentists coming to work in the region is a key issue, and challenges in dental workforce are being seen across the UK.”
During a Holyrood debate last month, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf revealed steps had been taken to stop dentists going private but admitted there had been “not much” return for those investments.
He added: “I know that the board has assembled a local dental task force, and we expect detail imminently on the next steps that will be proposed for Dumfries and Galloway.”
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson recently discussed the issue with Public Health Minister Maree Todd.
Afterwards he said: “The minister was clearly aware of the situation and explained she had raised the issue with the chief executive of NHS Dumfries and Galloway to come up with a strategic and resilient plan for NHS services in the region.
“She mentioned also that some of the financial incentives to encourage dentists to set up practices in my constituency were beginning to attract greater interest. The minister mentioned the words ‘green shoots’ but to be perfectly honest I am have little optimism if this is the best the Scottish Government can do.”
