by Bill Heaney
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson and MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Adam Harley, has today revealed new figures showing the long waits that Scottish children are facing to access dental services.
Figures uncovered by Scottish Liberal Democrats through freedom of information legislation reveal that in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde:
- The average waiting time for a dental inpatient appointment for children is now 29 weeks.
- The longest waiting time for a dental inpatient appointment for kids was 455 days in 2025.
- The longest waiting time for a dental outpatient appointment for kids was 81 weeks.
In government, Scottish Liberal Democrats introduced free NHS dental check-ups and established a new dental school to address shortages.
In the 2025/26 Scottish Budget, Scottish Liberal Democrats also secured extra training places for dentists.
The party would build on this by:
- Incorporating dentistry into a rolling, 10-year NHS and care workforce plan, and addressing the shortage of dental nurses and technicians.
- Bringing dentists back to the NHS from the private sector and retaining dentists by creating more opportunities for career development, including an expansion of Enhanced Skills Practitioners.
- Creating a structured and supportive environment for overseas-qualified dentists to provide NHS dentistry in Scotland, following the UK Government’s big expansion of their routes to registration.
- Reinvigorating the schemes for people in vulnerable groups to ensure that they can always get the appointments and check-ups they need, with every care home getting regular visits from a dentist.
Adam Harley said: “Good toothcare sets kids up for life, but these figures show that both parents and children are struggling to get an appointment.
“Under the SNP government, there’s a scarcity of NHS dentists- we urgently need to fix that.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that toothcare should be like any other form of medical treatment: universally accessible and close to home.
“We’re committed to finding solutions and getting things done. We have a plan to end dental deserts and make sure everyone can register with and see an NHS dentist. The SNP should back those plans today.”