Scotland: Latest data highlights dental access crisis and widening inequalities

Registration rates remain high due to lifetime registration – over 96 per cent of the Scottish population were registered with an NHS dentist in September 2021 – but the percentage of children registered fell from 91.4 per cent in 2020 to 87.7 per cent in 2021.

Participation rates – contact with a dentist within the past two years – continued to fall during the pandemic due to ongoing restrictions imposed on dental practices. On September 30, 2021, just over half of registered patients (52.6 per cent) had seen an NHS dentist within the last two years, a considerable reduction from almost two-thirds (65.1 per cent) in 2020. The participation rate among children was higher than for adults (63.9 per cent compared to 50.2 per cent).