Fife dental patients have been dealt another blow as a UK recruitment crisis continues.
Nanodent in Glenrothes, which announced its “extended closure” in February, has now lost a dentist from its Leven branch.
And the company has written to patients who were expecting to transfer to Leven from Glenrothes to say the move is cancelled.
Glasgow-based Clyde Munro, which runs both practices, said the decision was taken with “sincere regret”.
It follows “great efforts” to recruit a replacement dentist, including an international search.
And it comes just weeks after revelations Fifers are resorting to DIY dentistry and even travelling abroad for treatment as they fail to find a dentist locally.
Company unable to recruit dentists
Clyde Munro has almost 80 practices across the country, including three in Fife.
However, last month it said it was closing its Glenrothes premises after finding it impossible to recruit staff.
Some adult patients had the option to travel to Banbeath Dental Practice, eight miles away in Leven.
But in a fresh email to patients, the company said: “The dentist with whom you are registered has resigned his contract with the health board.
“Despite great efforts, including recruiting internationally, we have been unable to recruit a successor for him at Nanodent or at Banbeath.”
And they added: “To make it absolutely clear, your registration at Nanodent will cease on April 5.
“And contrary to what was stated previously, your registration will not be transferred to Banbeath and you will have to find another dentist in an alternative dental practice.”
Finding alternative Fife dentist ‘will be extremely difficult’
Several dental practices across Fife are suffering similar recruitment problems.
And many have now stopped NHS work amid rising costs.
Few, if any, practices in the region are taking on NHS patients at the moment.
And Clyde Munro acknowledged in its email: “We do understand that finding an alternative dentist in Fife will be extremely difficult.
“We have done everything we can to support and sustain the Nanodent Dental Practice.
“But all our attempts to recruit dentists has made it impossible to keep the practice open at present.
“If the recruitment problem is resolved, we will reopen the practice and advertise the reopening widely.”
NHS dentistry ‘in crisis’
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie says NHS dentistry is in crisis.
He led a debate in the Scottish Parliament last month after hundreds of people revealed problems accessing treatment,
Tayport man Stephen Kelley said he had resorted to DIY dentistry using tools bought on Amazon.
And others said they now saw dentists in Goa or Turkey.
A shake-up of NHS dentistry in Scotland was carried out in November.
Among the changes was a new fee structure making NHS treatment more attractive to practitioners.
And a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are seeking to protect provision of treatment for NHS patients and attract more dentists, while ensuring costs remain significantly below the prices charged by private providers.”
Conversation