Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support communities that are currently without a local dentist surgery to obtain one.
The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to NHS dental services, which is why we have included several areas in the Scottish Dental Access Initiative grant (SDAI). This financial grant enables dentists to open a new or expand an existing dental practice in areas where there is a particular and protracted problem with patient access to NHS dental services.
The areas currently included in the grant are:
Officials are in regular contact with NHS Boards about areas which may benefit from having the SDAI and the areas can be updated as and when required.