Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed the opening of Aberdeen’s new dental school and the improvements in access to NHS dentists that will follow from it. The centre will help to increase the numbers of qualified dentists across Scotland, with 20 students expected to enter the profession from the Aberdeen school every year.
Incentives are in place to encourage graduates to work within the NHS and it is expected many will choose to practise in the North-East of Scotland, thereby improving access to NHS dentistry for thousands of people across the region.
£21 million of funding has been put into the project by the Scottish Government and NHS Grampian, and students at the dental school will move into their new building from October 2009. The state-of-the-art complex will feature facilities for radiography, restorative dentistry, consultant orthodontics, dental laboratories, student laboratories and office accommodation.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
“The opening of this new dental school will help make dental services more easily available to residents of Banff & Buchan. By increasing the number of qualified dentists practising in the North East, we will hopefully help put an end to the difficulties in accessing NHS dentistry that has plagued the region.
“This school is not an overnight solution, but once students begin to graduate from it we can expect to see a real difference to the availability of dental services in Banff & Buchan.
“Tackling the lack of access to a dentist that many people in this part of Scotland have experienced was an important election promise, and I am delighted that the SNP Government has moved so quickly to keep fulfil its commitment.
“There is still a long way to go in reaching the level of access to dentists that we would like to see, but I am delighted that such a significant step forward has now been taken.”
Karen Adam is now the MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast
