Scottish dental fees increase

Developed in partnership with the dental sector and as part of the Oral Health Improvement Plan, the reforms also include an additional £10 million from the Scottish Government to support the delivery of laboratory-based treatment items, such as dentures.

The updated system will drive greater consideration of patients’ specific oral health needs, with more focus on patient-centred care such as preventative periodontal – gum disease – treatment.

For dentists, it will streamline Item of Service payments by reducing the number of fees from over 700 to 45, cutting bureaucracy and giving them greater authority over the treatments offered.

While patients that are required to pay an NHS charge are likely to see an increase in costs, this will be dependent on an overall treatment plan. Around 40 per cent of patients will continue to receive free NHS care and treatment, as they did under the previous arrangements.