Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has welcomed figures that show dental registrations across NHS Forth Valley have increased in the last year.
The number of adults registered with dentists in Forth Valley rose from 216,006 in 2015-16 to 222,478 in 2016-17, ISD Scotland statistics show. The number of children registered was also up in the last year – from 53,540 to 53,589.
A nationwide rise means 91.1% of adults in Scotland are now registered with an NHS dentist – nearly double the 45.6% when the SNP came to power in 2007. Among children the figure rose from 66.6% at the end of the Labour/Lib Dem coalition to 94.1% under the SNP.
The Scottish Government continues to take action to enhance dental health, including through the new Oral Health Improvement Plan and an investment of more than £400million in NHS dentists in the community.
Mr Matheson said: “It’s great to see that efforts to increase the number of people receiving regular dental check-ups are paying off and that more and more people are using the excellent dental services that we have in Falkirk district.
“Scottish Government funding and commitments have been a key driver of the surge in registrations over the past 10 years. We now have nearly five million registered dental patients across the country – and the new Oral Health Improvement Plan will boost this further yet.
“Programmes such as ChildSmile have also proven effective in getting children the dental treatment that they need.
“I’d encourage anyone who isn’t registered yet to sign up with their local dental practice.”
