November 11, 2024 – Patients across Scotland are enduring prolonged agony as they face waiting times of over a year to have their teeth extracted, according to Scottish Labour, which has raised concerns about the escalating delays.
Freedom of information data obtained by the party reveals a sharp increase in average waiting times across Scotland’s 14 health boards since 2019. The worst-hit area was Lothian, where patients in 2023-24 waited an average of 62 weeks for tooth extractions, a dramatic rise from just 12 weeks in 2019-20.
Other regions have also seen significant delays, with patients in the Borders and Grampian waiting an average of 55 and 54 weeks, respectively, compared to 21 and 14 weeks four years earlier.
The situation is particularly dire for individual patients, with one person in Lothian forced to wait an agonizing two years for an extraction. Other cases include a 94-week wait in Highland and an 87-week delay in Fife.
The issue also extends to children, with Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Dumfries & Galloway seeing average waits of 43 and 42 weeks, up from 21 and 9 weeks, respectively, in 2019-20. In Highland, one child endured a shocking 83-week wait for treatment.
Paul Sweeney, Scottish Labour’s dentistry spokesperson, said, “Rotten teeth can cause excruciating pain, but these figures show that many Scots are being forced to wait for years before receiving the surgery they desperately need. Some will be forced to raid their savings to escape the agony, while others will have no choice but to live with the pain.”
Sweeney further stated that Scottish Labour is committed to encouraging more dentists to work within the NHS to ensure timely treatment for all patients in need.
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