Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the open letter sent to the Minister for Public Health and Women's Health by the British Dental Association Scotland on 20 July 2024, whether it is considering further payment reform for NHS dentistry to improve access, inequalities and prevention.
Scottish Government welcomes the comments of the British Dental Association Scotland that the new system represents an improvement on the previous Statement of Dental Renumeration.
Official statistics published by Public Health Scotland on 28 May 2024 show that in the quarter ending 31 March 2024, over 1 million patient contacts were delivered by NHS dentists and there were three quarters of a million free at the point of use enhanced examinations.
This is indicative that Scottish Government intervention is supporting patient access to care.Ongoing assessment of the sector will provide information to support any future interventions, in particular around equality.