Scottish government asleep at the wheel on crisis in NHS dentistry

In a recent debate in Holyrood, Scottish government MSPs voted against a motion on support for NHS dentistry tabled by the Scottish Conservatives and backed by both Scottish Labour and Liberal Democrats. Ministers have been planning to cut pandemic support from April. Whilst the government has recently indicated that there will be no "cliff edge", the BDA has consistently warned that the plans to end covid support payments and return to a low margin/high volume model of care would devastate dental services across the country.

Morale in the profession is at an all-time low, with more than a third of dentists saying they intend to leave the profession in the next 12 months, and 80 per cent planning to reduce their NHS commitment if the government reverts to pre-pandemic arrangements. Failure to act risks sparking an exodus from the workforce which would mean families across Scotland losing access to NHS dentistry for good.