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In the Guardian today the above interactive map and:
Hundreds of dentist practices are abandoning NHS work as the service drifts towards a two-tier system, new analysis suggests. Data analysed by the Nuffield Trust found that nearly 600 practices in England have withdrawn from NHS dentistry over the last 10 years. The decline has been particularly sharp in parts of the South West and East of England, raising concerns about growing inequalities in access to care. The analysis suggests more than one in 10 dental practices that once offered NHS care no longer do so, leaving it near impossible for some communities to find NHS appointments.
The BBC article only consider the percentage reduction in provision and not the level of provision
What’s the situation in Scotland?
As of 31 March 2026: 5,273,339 people registered, 95.1% of the population, were on the list of a practising NHS dentist. Lifetime registration was introduced by the SNP Government in April 2010, so people are not removed for non-attendance.
Are we happy with the provision?
From the Nuffield Trust in 2025:
Scottish respondents are significantly more satisfied (40%) with NHS dentistry than both English (21%) and Welsh (14%) respondents. Scottish respondents were more satisfied than dissatisfied with NHS dentistry, in sharp contrast to English and Welsh respondents who were significantly more dissatisfied than satisfied.
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Talking-up Scotland 
In the other post regarding labour below is the two sides of them.
Labour campaigners planning to pressure Burnham on Gaza genocide
Then I read about this.
Louise Haigh.It was June 2025 in foreign policy debate in the House of Commons.
“It is impossible to conclude that this is anything less than a genocide,” you declared. You even called for the Labour government of Sir Keir Starmer to impose immediate “sanctions” on Benjamin Netanyahu and his “genocidal regime”.
A back bencher then now a Minister in Government I wonder if she stands by what she said then.
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Evidence of yet another area of relatively good public service performance in Scotland that cannot – must not – be acknowledged, far less lauded, either by the MSM and or by opposition (Unionist) politicians in Scotland. Showing Scotland’s public services and public institutions in a favourable light would dilute the ongoing gaslighting of the nation’s electorate. And that would be a disservice to their precious Union!
From the ‘Dentistry’ news website (25 March, 2026) NHS dentistry satisfaction remains low but Scotland shows what a different model can achieve. ( https://dentistry.co.uk/2026/03/25/nhs-dentistry-satisfaction-remains-low-but-scotland-shows-what-a-different-model-can-achieve/ )
‘The UK-wide headline masks a divergence that the dental profession will find instructive. Scottish respondents reported NHS dentistry satisfaction of 40%, significantly higher than England at 21% and Wales at a striking 14%. Scotland was the only nation where respondents were more satisfied than dissatisfied. (my emphasis)
‘For experienced dental professionals, the reason for this disparity is obvious. Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to operate an item-of-service model, where dentists are paid for each treatment delivered. England and Wales have long relied on the UDA framework, which pays the same regardless of whether a course of treatment is simple or complex. Wales will move away from UDAs from April, shifting to a time-based model.’
And: ‘The Scotland data offers policymakers an existing model, within the same healthcare system, that is demonstrably producing better outcomes of patient satisfaction. For dental teams still operating under the UDA framework, that comparison is becoming increasingly difficult for the government to ignore.’
Also from ‘Dentistry’ (August 3, 2026) ‘Dentists’ taxable income rises across UK, with Scotland nearing £100,000’. ‘
‘Self-employed dentists with some NHS or health service work saw taxable income rise significantly across all four UK nations in 2024/25, with Scotland recording the highest figure at £99,100. The latest Dental Earnings and Expenses Estimates found that mean taxable income in Scotland increased by 9.3%, from £90,600 in 2023/24 to £99,100 in 2024/25. Northern Ireland saw the largest percentage rise, with taxable income up 13.7% from £77,000 to £87,600. In England, mean taxable income rose by 6.1%, from £78,200 to £83,000, while Wales saw a 7.7% increase, from £79,900 to £86,100.’
(The report includes self-employed primary care dentists who carried out some NHS or health service work. It excludes dentists who only carried out private dentistry, or dentists with employment income but no self-employed income.)
Finally, from Dentistry (June 18, 206) ‘Less than half of Northern Ireland registered with a health service dentist’:
‘.. figures recorded at the same time in Scotland estimate that 95.1% of its population is registered with an NHS dentist. This disparity is likely due to Scotland’s formal registration system which is not in place throughout the rest of the UK. Registration levels in England and Wales stand at roughly 40% each.’
How different would the national ‘mood’ in Scotland be if talking up Scotland – when clearly merited – was deemed to be a legitimate journalistic activity for the public service broadcaster, the one those being gaslighted help to finance?
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