NHS dental services in Scotland are facing collapse — despite a Scottish government scheme providing extra funding, Scottish Labour warned today.

The party said that in five years just nine dentists had received funding from the Scottish government’s Scottish Dental Access Initiative, which offers grants for dentists to establish or expand NHS practices.

And it said there had now been reports of “dental deserts,” with six council areas reporting having no practices taking on new adult NHS patients within three months, and just one in four practices across Scotland offering appointments in the same period. 

Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer Tom Ferris wrote to Scottish health boards in September to say that the grant funding would take a “more targeted and evidence-based approach” in future, Scottish Labour pointed out.

Scottish Labour dentistry spokesman Paul 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 Scottish government was contacted for comment.