Number of people going to dentist rises

A Renfrewshire MSP is hailing a welcome surge in the number of people registered with the dentist.

Derek Mackay praised news that adults registered in the health board area have gone up to 968,975 from 939,837 in the last year.

Meanwhile the number of youngsters registered in the area also rose from 218,972 to 220,566 in the same period.

Mr Mackay, Renfrewshire North and West MSP, 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 who 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 per cent under Labour to 94.8 per cent now, and the number of children registered has grown by 28.5 per cent under the SNP.”

He added that programmes such as ChildSmile have proven effective in getting children the dental treatment they need.