South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has used a question session in the Scottish Parliament to demand answers about the growing NHS dental “crisis” in Dumfries and Galloway.

Speaking recently in the debating chamber, the local MSP said that despite measures announced by the Scottish Government, dentists are still choosing to withdraw NHS provision.

Colin Smyth said: “Does the Minister for Public Health Jenni Minto accept that dentists are aware of all the policy initiatives that she talks about—the fact that payment is continuing until 31 October and that a new payments regime will come into place—but that they are still choosing to withdraw from NHS provision?

“More than 20,000 patients in Dumfries and Galloway alone have been deregistered from the NHS recently.

“Why does the minister think that that is happening, if the new regime is going to solve the problems?”

Speaking after the session, Colin Smyth continued: “NHS dental services in Dumfries and Galloway are in crisis and every few months we are hearing of more and more patients being de-registered by dentists across the region.

“I am really angry that the Scottish Government has failed to wake up to the growing dental crisis.

“The double whammy of the UK Government’s Brexit, which has meant there are almost no EU dentists coming to the UK anymore,  and more significantly the Scottish Government’s failure to properly fund dentists has left many practises with no choice but to reduce NHS services.

“Both Governments have been warned over and over that this would happen but they have completely ignored those warnings.

“Unless both governments face up to this crisis in our area, it is only a matter of time before no adult in our region will have NHS dental care.”