Our call on Scottish parties ahead of the coming Holyrood elections has made the front pages. Now we’re calling on members to help ensure this message cuts through to candidates: it’s time to future proof dentistry or lose it.
Voters are looking to the next Scottish Government to go further and faster to guarantee the future of NHS dentistry.
— BDA (@TheBDA) March 16, 2026
If you're a dentist in Scotland, please send a message to your next MSP.
Future proof this service or lose it.
👇https://t.co/uApbpIwNW3 pic.twitter.com/a1qTD7lBTo
Our new polling from YouGov shows:
- Taking into account all the different priorities facing the country, 65% of Scots say the Scottish Government should be doing more on dentistry. Only 20% believe they are doing all they reasonably can
- Dentistry is now a major doorstep issue in Scotland, with 15% ranking it as the most important issue in their local area, on a par with crime (16%)
- Estimated unmet need for NHS dentistry stands at nearly 1/5 of Scotland’s adult population, with 12% saying they were unable to secure an appointment in the last 2 years, and a further 7% having effectively given up trying, assuming they would be unable to get one.
Our new manifesto stresses a new administration has no room for complacency. While the current Scottish Government took forward payment reform of NHS dentistry in 2023, this can’t be viewed as ‘mission accomplished’. Concerted action is required to improve access and reduce inequalities that are already widening and create the dental workforce Scotland needs via a fully funded workforce plan.
We are encouraging parties to double down on prevention, expand the pioneering Childsmile programme, and adopt policies to encourage families to make healthier choices. It says practices need to be protected from surging costs, including rises in National Insurance from the UK Government which have already been mitigated in Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland.
“If we want NHS dentistry in Scotland to remain a going concern in the 21st century, it will require a sustained plan of action,” says Scottish Council Chair Albert Yeung.
“It means closing an oral health gap between rich and poor that’s already widening. To call time on postcode lotteries of care that remain the norm.
“It requires the next government to ensure we have the dental team members we need on the frontline.
“And it means doubling down on prevention. This country can’t rest on its laurels when decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children.”
Our polling underlines that the next Scottish Government needs to go further, and faster. We must future-proof dentistry in Scotland, because failure to do so will come at a steep financial, human and ultimately a political cost.
We’ve shown this is already an issue on the doorstep. It will remain one until voters see real change. You can help today by sending a message to candidates in your local area.