Stevenson Highlights Increase in Dentists under SNP Government

Local MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed new figures showing the number of dentists in Scotland has increased by almost 33 percent points since the SNP took office. Between September 2006 and September this year, Scotland has benefitted from 793 extra dentists.

These extra dentists have helped to vastly increase the levels of registration with an NHS dentist. In March 2007 before the SNP took office, just 67% of children and 46% of adults were registered with an NHS dentist. The most recent figures show that as of 30th September 2013, 91% of children and 82% of adults were registered. Over 4.4 million people are now registered – an increase of 1.8 million since March 2007.

Commenting Mr Stevenson said:

"These figures are really something to smile about. In particular it is vitally important that children learn good oral health early as they are much more likely to continue these habits later in life.

"The New Year is the perfect time to register at a dentist and get your teeth checked.

"These figures show that, after years of neglect under previous administrations, that real inroads have been made in ensuring the provision of first-rate dental services for the people of Scotland.

“Up until a few years ago, I was regularly contacted by constituents who could not get access to NHS dentistry. That is no longer the case. Many thousands more people in Grampian are now registered with an NHS dentists, we have supported investment in more dental surgeries and a new dental school in Aberdeen which is making a real difference to the availability of NHS dentists in our region.”

Number and %age of people registered with a NHS dentist at specified dates:

31 Mar 2007	2,584,912	50.2%
31 Mar 2009	3,349,235	65.1%
31 Mar 2011	3,804,338	73.2%
30 Sep 2013	4,432,103	83.4%