SIX monthly check-ups at the dentist will become a thing of the past for adults with healthy teeth and gums under a shake-up proposed by the Scottish Government.
Instead all 18-year-olds will have an oral health risk assessment to determine how often they need to be seen and ensure those most at risk of disease and decay are given clear prevention advice.
Patients with healthy mouths who practise good dental hygiene and don't smoke or drink heavily could go up to two years between appointments.
Margie Taylor, chief dental officer for Scotland, said: "Everyone has grown up acknowledging that usually you have to go to the dentists every six months. There has not been an awful lot of evidence to support that... If you have a patient coming in and they do not need anything (done) year after year after year, you could say we could see you in a year's time or two years' time. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines suggest quite a few people could be seen every two years."
Giving 18-year-olds an oral health risk assessment to determine their future dental care plan is one of a series of changes proposed in a new Scottish Government oral health plan.
This strategy applauds the success of Scotland's Childsmile Programme which educates children about brushing and provides them with free toothpaste and toothbrushes. The number of children in P7 at school without tooth decay has risen from 59 per cent in 2007 to 75 per cent last year.
The new plan intends to take this focus on preventing problems into adult dental services. Ms Taylor said: "We are expecting the generation coming through, the 18-year-olds of the future not to need very much treatment like fillings and extractions. The emphasis is going to be on prevention."
Talking about the impact of smoking, eating and drinking habits with patients is likely to form part of this approach.
The plan also raises concern that children living in deprived areas of Scotland have significantly poorer dental health. In the most affluent communities 83 per cent of children starting school have never experienced tooth decay. In the most deprived parts the figure is 53 per cent.
Aileen Campbell, Minister for Public Health and Sport, said: “There have been some significant improvements to oral health in recent years, particularly for children. We’ve seen a reduction in the level of tooth decay, increasing access to NHS dentists and the success of our Childsmile programme.
“Despite these successes it’s vital that we continue to look forward and make further improvements. Tooth decay is almost always preventable so there is no reason for a child to have poor teeth. I particularly want us to try to close the deprivation gap which still exists for tooth decay."
Ms Campbell launched a consultation on the plans at East Craigs Dental Practice in Edinburgh and encouraged people to suggest how Scotland can improve its oral health.
Cancers of the mouth are becoming more common in Scotland and incident levels are higher than in England and Northern Ireland.
Ms Campbell said: "We need to have even more focus on prevention, and I want to hear dentists’ and patients’ views on how we can achieve that. Also, we have an ageing population, and we need to look at how to meet the challenge that creates.”
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