A SURVEY to uncover the truth about the finances of Scottish dentists cost almost £40,000 and just one dental practice submitted a response.
The survey was commissioned after plans to reform the profession in Scotland revealed "serious misgivings" about figures currently available on the earnings and expenses of dentists who work for the NHS.
However, the Scottish Government' has now its attempt to extract the information from a sample of dentists resulted in just one completed form.
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Now the government are planning to make supplying the required data mandatory as part of the contract independent dentists have with the health service.
Margie Taylor, chief dental officer for Scotland, said the organisation which recommends pay rises for medical and dental staff - the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Body (DDRB) - did not feel they had enough information about "the costs of running a practice".
As a result the Scottish Government commissioned an independent financial consultant to gather the detail at a cost of £36,900.
The firm conducted two pilot exercises and a main project. The pilots resulted in one complete response while seven dental practices committed to supplying the required information for the main survey, but no responses were received.
Ms Taylor said: "The form we gave them was quite detailed and difficult to complete, so a change we have made this year is we have asked a firm of accountants to engage with the process completely. The firm of accountants will help them complete the form."
A system of visits where the accountants analyse the books of participating practices has also been set up.
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Anas Sarwar, Labour's health spokesman, said: "At a time when our hard working NHS staff are struggling for resources, and patients are being told that some medication is unaffordable, this is an appalling waste of money.
"Controls should have been in place to ensure that the survey was successful before the pilot began."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "The cost of the project was £36,900. The exercise consisted of two pilot exercises, and a main exercise.
"For the second pilot exercise, we receive one completed return from a dental practice. For the main exercise, seven dental practices committed to supplying the requisite information, but no information was subsequently received.
“To improve this process we have introduced a system of visits by accountants to analyse the accounts of participating practices. As part of the consultation into oral health we are proposing to make supply of this information a requirement of the terms of service for each dental practice.”
The problem of a lack of information came to light in the Scottish Government's new plan for oral healthcare which has been circulated for consultation.
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It says: "In recent years, the independent pay review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB), has expressed serious misgivings with the robustness of data available on earnings and expenses of independent contractors providing GDS in Scotland."
The document goes on to describe the commissioned survey as meeting with "limited success" and suggests "provision of earnings and expenses information should be a terms of service requirement."
The British Dental Association (BDA) has previously committed to engaging in the process of improving information and has encouraged its members and the whole profession to do likewise.
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