On a morning of particular talking-down, Reporting Scotland Down have the above, followed by:

….or impossible to find and NHS dentist nearby and whether the crisis has led to more problems now because of missed check-ups.

Note the use of the word ‘crisis’ to refer to a rumour. The evidence once more:

From Public Health Scotland in January 2023:

95.4% of the Scottish population were registered with an NHS dentist as at 30 September 2022. Nearly all adults living in the most deprived areas were registered with an NHS dentist in September 2022, compared to 91.9% in the least deprived areas.

As at 30 September 2022, 87.2% of children were registered, compared to 87.4% on 30 September 2021.

As at 30 September 2022, 2.6 million registered patients had seen an NHS dentist within the last two years (50.4% compared to 43.1% in March 2022). Registered children were more likely than adults to have seen an NHS dentist within the last two years (65.7% compared to 47.2%).https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-registration-and-participation/dental-statistics-nhs-registration-and-participation-24-january-2023/

Comparative data for England are not available, but according to the Guardian in August 2022:

Just over a third of adults (34%) accessed NHS dental care in the two years to 31 March across England. It has since climbed to 36% in the two years to June but remains well below the pre-pandemic level of 50%. Just 44.8% of children were seen in the year to the end of March, rising to 46.2% in the year to June, despite there being no restrictions on dental surgeries treating patients. That is far below the 58.7% of children seen in the last full year before the pandemic.https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/25/england-nhs-dentists-dental-deserts-data#:~:text=Just%20over%20a%20third%20of,to%2031%20March%20across%20England.

and from the House of Commons Library in May 2023:

Over the past decade, the number of dentists providing NHS treatment per 100,000 population peaked in 2014/15 at a rate of 44.1 dentists per 100,000. In 2021/22 the figure was 42.9 per 100,000 population. 

Concerns have also been expressed about the number of NHS dentists turning to private practice. In May 2022, the BDA reported 3,000 dentists had stopped providing NHS dental services since the start of the pandemic and their survey of high street dentists found nearly half (45%) reported reducing their NHS commitment since the onset of the pandemic. 75% said they were likely to reduce their NHS commitment in the next year.

NHS dentistry in England – House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)

From the Scottish Government in 2022:

“We’re delivering record investment in dentistry – with a 9% increase in the budget for NHS dental services in 2022-23 – and there has been a 39% increase in the number of high-street dentists in Scotland between 2007 and 2021. Last year there were 55.6 dentists per 100,000 of the population providing NHS care in Scotland compared to 39.9 in England.https://www.gov.scot/news/dental-services-for-all/#:~:text=Last%20year%20there%20were%2055.6,compared%20to%2039.9%20in%20England.

Some disagreement about the ratio in England but either way around 40% more NHS dentists in Scotland.