Just nine Scottish dental practices given government help in four years

The Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) was set up to increase NHS dental provision in places where it is lacking.

Grants of up to £100,000 are offered for the opening of a new practice or extension of an existing one, while a recruitment and retention allowance provides up to £37,500 in the first three years of a dentist’s time in practice.

But in response to a written question from Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, public health minister Jenni Minto said just nine practices have been given money since 2020.

In September of this year, the chief dental officer wrote to health boards confirming a more “targeted and evidence-based approach to SDAI provision, ensuring those areas with clear unmet need are supported”, Ms Minto said.

Mr Sweeney said: “There are huge gaps in access to dentists but the SNP government’s approach is clearly not working.

“NHS dentistry in Scotland is on the brink of collapse and far too many Scots are being left in agonising pain, unable to access services.

“The SNP government should act on the chief dental officer’s advice and take a fresh approach to this vital challenge.

“A Scottish Labour government will ensure that anyone experiencing dental problems gets the help they need.”

The SDAI was used to open a new practice in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, providing spaces for 2,000 new patients, 500 of whom have already been seen by dentists.

The figures come after it was revealed more than 300 dentists had taken early retirement since 2020.

Figures obtained by the Scottish Lib Dems showed 334 retirements in the past four years, with just 10 of those being of state pension age.

The party accused the Government of leaving “NHS dentistry to rot”.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Almost one year on from dental payment reform, NHS dental services are responding well to the changes with the latest figures showing over one million courses of treatment were delivered to patients in the quarter ending June 2024.

“We recognise that in some areas, particularly rural areas, access to dental services remains more challenging.

“We continue to make available a range of additional financial support locally and this has enabled a newly opened surgery in a Dumfries and Galloway practice to see an additional 500 new NHS patients since August and register another 1,500 new patients

“We are urgently engaging with our counterparts across the UK on the actions required to enhance access to services through increased dental workforce capacity, including improved international pipelines.”

Last week dentists warned Scotland needs a “21st century” service for patients as a report found six areas of the country are “dental deserts”, with no practices able to take on new NHS patients.

The British Dental Association Scotland said an increase in vacancies in Scottish dental practices led to patients being unable to find dental care and said further change was needed to attract dentists to the roles.

The investigation from the BBC found six areas - Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Inverclyde, Orkney, Perth and Kinross and Shetland - are unable to take on new adult NHS patients within three months.