Dental charges scrapped for all under-26s in Scotland

by the SNP
Posted on
3 years ago
2 min read

Young people in Scotland under the age of 26 are now eligible for free NHS dental treatment, after the SNP Scottish Government fulfilled its election pledge to scrap dental charges.

Around 600,000 young Scots will now receive free dental care, with Health Secretary Humza Yousaf confirming that this is the first step in the SNP Scottish Government’s plans to scrap dental charges for everyone in Scotland.

Within the first 100 days of this Scottish Government, initial plans only involved removing charges from those aged 18-26 from care-experienced backgrounds.

However, we’ve ramped up our ambition and delivered for Scotland’s young people with an additional investment of £7.5 million – supporting the dental sector to recover, and expanding the scrapping of dental charges well ahead of schedule.

Free treatment for people aged under 26 will take effect immediately and there is no “opt-in” required.

Those who started a course of NHS treatment before their 26th birthday will also be eligible – ensuring that no-one entitled misses out.

The new investment comes alongside the SNP Scottish Government’s previously announced £5 million investment to improve ventilation – further enabling dental practices to see more NHS patients under current COVID restrictions, remobilising Scotland’s dentistry in a way that’s safe for all.

Since the SNP came to office, the number of people registered with an NHS dentist has almost doubled.

A record 5 million people are registered with an NHS dentist – with a 36 per cent increase in the numbers of NHS dentists under this SNP Scottish Government.

In recognition of the incredible work our NHS dentists and medical staff do, this year the Scottish Government also announced they are to receive a 3% pay rise, ensuring that Scotland’s senior medical staff continue to be the best paid in the UK.