Liberal Democrat Public Health spokesperson Jamie Stone MSP has urged Health Boards to spend Government funding for dental services on more dentists, especially in rural areas.

The Scottish Government has announced a £75 million funding boost for dental services.

Commenting, Mr Stone said:

“While I welcome extra cash for dental services, let’s keep this investment in perspective. The overall health and wellbeing budget is £23,935.7 million, so £75 million for dental services is a comparatively modest cash injection for this vital service.

“I’m concerned at the relatively low priority given by the Scottish Government to training and teaching. It is generally accepted that more dentists is the answer to the crisis in dental services affecting many communities, particularly those in remote and rural areas, across Scotland.

“I would urge Health Boards to put their share of this funding towards training new dentists for Scotland.”