The statistics, released through freedom of information legislation, show the number of patients under 18 attending both Inverclyde Royal and the Royal Hospital for Children has doubled in the last five years.
Health board figures also show that in total 133 men, women and children attended Inverclyde Royal for dental care over that period of time.
Across Greater Glasgow and Clyde, there was a huge 109 per cent increase in hospital attendances for emergency dental treatment – and nearly a third of all visits to A&E for issues relating to tooth decay were by children.
The figures underline the crisis in NHS dental provision in Inverclyde, with increasing numbers of local residents forced to travel miles to find an NHS dentist as local practices shut down or close their NHS lists to new patients.
Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey says he fears the new figures are only ‘the tip of the iceberg’.
(Image: George Munro)
In response to the local crisis, which saw Inverclyde labelled a ‘dental desert’, funding was made available to encourage practices to open up in the area.
Plans for a new practice in the Waterfront Retail Park were approved by Inverclyde Council earlier this year, but Mr McCluskey says he believes the crisis in local NHS dentistry is undermining years of efforts to improve children’s teeth.
Following his FOI request, Mr McCluskey told the Telegraph: “People across our area know from their own experience how difficult it is to find a dentist.
“These figures demonstrate beyond doubt that the SNP are asleep at the wheel when it comes to dental care in our area.
“The Scottish Government have promised time and again to reform the NHS and get to grips with the health and social care crisis, and time and again they have failed.
“So much work has been undertaken over the years to improve children’s teeth and to set them up for the rest of their lives.
“This risks being undone by poor access to dentistry and a system that is creaking locally.
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“These statistics are likely only the tip of the iceberg. I expect many more children will have been treated as emergency cases at local dentists.
“These cases represent the most extreme situations where children have clearly been left in so much pain that parents have had no other option than to taken them to A&E.”
In June 2024, emergency dental clinics in Greenock Health Centre were piloted for a short time following the closure of MyDentist in George Square.
Mr McCluskey launched a campaign last year to improve NHS dental provision in the area after the Ardgowan Practice in Greenock stopped treating patients on the NHS, blaming government underfunding and a rise in running costs.
He added: “It is clear that this situation, already bad before the pandemic, has been allowed to deteriorate since then, and this will continue unless pressure is applied to force the Scottish Government to act.”
(Image: George Munro)
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to improving NHS dentistry means communities in Inverclyde and across Scotland will benefit from an increase of almost 15 per cent in funding for primary care dental services planned this year – taking total funding to over half a billion pounds for the first time.
“It also includes investment of up to £3 million to improve access and support the NHS dental workforce.”
They went on to highlight the flagship Childsmile programme focuses on ensuring every child in Scotland has access to high-quality dental services.
The spokesperson added: “The latest National Dental Inspection Programme figures show that 73 per cent of children in Primary 1 have no obvious tooth decay compared with just 58 per cent when it was introduced in 2008.
“The gap between Primary 1 children with no obvious tooth decay living in the most and least deprived areas is the lowest on record.
Soaring numbers of children in Inverclyde are attending A&E for emergency dental treatment, new figures have revealed. (Image: Canva) “Whilst we have more work to do, it’s worth noting over one million patients were seen by an NHS dentist between January and March 2025, and Scotland is the only country in the UK that offers free, regular dental examinations for all.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ” We are continuing to work with general dental practitioners and colleagues within Inverclyde HSCP to identify initiatives to support access to emergency dental care.
“Inverclyde also remains an area where Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) funding is available to support new practices opening in the area, and this initiative has led to one formal application being progressed through due process.”