Renfrewshire North & West MSP Derek Mackay has welcomed the news that local dental registrations have increased in the last year, following new statistics from ISD Scotland.
The number of adults registered with dentists in Greater Glasgow & Clyde is up to 968,975 climbing from 939,837 – part of a national rise from 3,880,815 in 2015/16 to 4,004,645 in 2016/17.
The number of children registered across Greater Glasgow & Clyde also rose from 218,972 to 220,566 in the last year.
The percentage of adults registered with an NHS dentist in Greater Glasgow & Clyde is at 94.8%, higher than the Scottish total of 91.1%. The percentage of children registered in the area is 95%, also higher than the Scottish total of 94.1%.
The Scottish Government continues to take action to improve dental health across Scotland, including through the new Oral Health Improvement Plan and an investment of over £400 million in NHS dentists in the community. Mr Mackay has encouraged those who are not currently registered to sign up with their local dentist.
Commenting, SNP MSP Derek Mackay said:
“This is welcome news for Renfrewshire and shows that efforts to increase the number of people receiving regular dental check-ups is paying off.
“It is a huge boost to see more and more people using the excellent dental services that we have in Renfrewshire – and by doing so we are able to prevent potentially more damaging and costly treatments in future.
“Those that aren’t registered should sign up with their local dental practice to get the dental treatment now and in the years to come.
“The SNP has a strong record on dental and oral health – increasing the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist in the GG&C area from 49% under Labour to 94.8% now, and the number of children registered has grown by 28.5% under the SNP.
“Scottish Government funding and commitments have been a key driver of these improvements, which is why we now have nearly 5 million registered dental patients across the country. The new Oral Health Improvement Plan will only boost this further still.
“Programmes such as ChildSmile have proven effective in getting children the dental treatment that they need – and with more adults registering with practices across Scotland, the SNP is making sure there is plenty to smile about across Scotland.”