Dental reform from November 1:  

Brush up on the NHS dental treatment you’re entitled to 

NHS Western Isles is raising awareness of dental reform, which has been introduced by the Scottish Government in a continued effort to support the oral health needs of every patient in Scotland.  

This is one of the most significant changes made to NHS dentistry in Scotland, developed and implemented by the Scottish Government, to provide a greater focus on preventative based dental care.  

Whilst we welcome the drive towards preventative dentistry, it’s important that the public is aware of the key changes: 

• Routine dental check-ups will change from every six months to every 12 months. However, dentists can tailor recalls based on patients’ individual oral health needs. 
• There will be an increase in costs for those who pay for their treatment. These fees are set nationally, not by individual Health Boards. 
• The maximum amount that will be charged to an individual per treatment plan will remain capped at £384 or 80% of costs. 
• Historic ‘scale and polish’ treatments will not be a default routine treatment, and hygiene plans will be tailored to each patient depending on their clinical need. 
• Some treatments which were previously free of charge may now carry an associated fee, for example, a denture repair is now £50.88 unless you are exempt. 

If your treatment plan started prior to November 1, your active plan will be unaffected by the changes. 

We would like to reassure that those who are eligible for free dental care will be unaffected by the price increase, and we would also like to emphasise that a comprehensive range of treatments will still be available through the NHS.

We appreciate that increased costs may be challenging for some patients, and should you require further information as to whether you are eligible for subsidised dental care, please visit the Scottish Government website, where you can check your eligibility or ask a staff member for assistant: https://www.gov.uk/help-nhs-costs 

For further information regarding the new fees please visit the NHS Inform website: https://nhsinform.scot/dentist#dental-treatment-costs 

NHS Western Isles Director of Dentistry, Joanne Bark, said: “We thank you for your cooperation in advance and ask that you please be patient and respectful to our staff during this time of change.” 

To brush up on what you’re entitled to, visit nhsinform.scot/dentist