Professor John Roberson OBA
BBC Breakfast had extended and intensive coverage on the dentistry crisis in England, with the above images of queues around the block to even get on a dentist’s waiting list, and a minister admitting that folk are using pliers on themselves, 18 months after his government came to power.
BBC Scotland is not covering this topic.
Here’s why:
Shocking contrast as nearly twice as many Scots have access to an NHS dentist as those in England
Professor John Robertson OBA
The above table from Public Health Scotland today, reveals a very high level of access to free NHS dental treatment in Scotland – 90% of children and 97% of adults with 100% access for some age groups.
When I searched for equivalent data for England, what I found shocked me. From the ONS in September 2024:
Overall, 52.1% of adults reported having an NHS dentist, 34.2% have a private dentist, 13.5% did not have a dentist and 0.2% used a dental hospital.
Females were more likely (54.1%) than males (50.0%) to have an NHS dentist, while males were more likely (16.0%) than females (11.1%) to not have a dentist.
Those aged between 16 and 24 years were significantly more likely to have an NHS dentist (70.9%), compared with all other age groups; meanwhile those aged between 25 and 44 years were significantly more likely to not have a dentist compared with all other age groups. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/bulletins/experiencesofnhshealthcareservicesinengland/september2025#dental-care
Imagine this was the other way round? BBC Scotland would have us sick to the back etc….
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Perhaps that lapsed dentist , Anas Sarwar , who is currently failing at whatever job he has been allocated by his boss could stand up for Scottish Dentistry and clarify the position north of the border ?
Or is that too much like pulling teeth for him ?
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