This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Brushing up on dental health
20/05/2005
Improving children's oral health is at the heart of the Executive's drive to improve the country's health record, dentists were told today.
Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin stressed this as she addressed the annual conference of the British Dental Association (BDA) in Glasgow.
She said: "By the age of three, more than 60 per cent of children in our most deprived areas will have dental disease. This is unacceptable. I am absolutely determined to turn that statistic around.
"Earlier this year I announced the biggest shake-up of NHS dental services since the NHS began. This was matched with record levels of funding, to ensure that the NHS in Scotland becomes a more attractive place for dentists to work.
"I have listened closely to the views of dentists around the country and believe that the package of measures we have announced meets their calls for a more flexible and less bureaucratic system.
"We are delivering on dentistry and we are delivering for dentists.
"I look forward to working closely with the profession to deliver the ambitious targets set out in our Action Plan, to rebuild NHS dentistry and make it accessible to everyone.
"I am convinced that if we do so, a child born in Scotland today will have greater prospects for their future oral health than any previous generation. At the end of the day, that is all that matters."
The Executive announced additional funding of £150 million over three years. In the first year, (2005-06) an extra £45 million to improve oral health and support NHS dental services will be provided. This will rise to £100 million in the second year (2006-07) and will build to £150 million by 2008. This means a total spend of £350 million on NHS dentistry in three years time.