Young people under 26 are now entitled to free dental treatment from the NHS in Scotland, which will take effect immediately, without the need to participate. This also includes patients who started treatment with the NHS before they were 26.
The announcement means that around 600,000 young people under the age of 26 will benefit from August 24. It also goes beyond this Scottish government’s first 100 days commitment to remove NHS patient fees for young people with experience in care.
It follows a £ 7.5million investment in the Scottish dental sector, which will allow practices to purchase drills that do not create as much aerosol as standard drills.
He hopes to help the industry free up capacity, see more NHS patients and regain pre-pandemic capacity. It will allow dentists to help reduce the impact of Covid restrictions on the number of patients they can see.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We pledge to remove NHS dental fees for everyone in Scotland and to remove them for everyone under 26 is our first step on this journey.
“I would like to thank the dental sector for their exceptional efforts during the last difficult period and look forward to further engaging with you as the Scottish Government continues to support the reestablishment of the practice and the improvement of services. dental clinics for patients.
“I am delighted to also confirm an additional investment of £ 7.5million for the sector. This will be used to purchase new dental drilling equipment that produces less airborne particles, and therefore helps reduce the risk of transmission of Covid.
“In addition to our previously announced £ 5million to improve ventilation, this will further enable dental offices to see more NHS patients under current Covid restrictions and demonstrates our commitment to NHS dental services. I will continue to engage with the industry as we seek to re-mobilize our dental services in a safe manner. “
The purchase of electric motors and increased speed of the “red band” hand pieces, could be used in a wide range of clinical procedures to allow the standard non-aerosol production precautions to be applied, due to the aerosol. minimum produced by the equipment.
Research has shown that aerosol production procedures – which are common in dentistry – for treatments such as fillings and crowns, are thought to add to the spread of Covid-19, and so this should also help reduce the risk of transmission.
More details will follow in the coming weeks on how the practices may request additional funding.
