Big smiles as dentist drive is a success

TENS of thousands of Lothians residents have signed up to a dentist thanks to awareness campaigns and endless health messages, figures have shown.

Both NHS Lothian and the Scottish Government want to boost the number of people on the dental register, to get them easier access to treatment and improve the country’s overall dental health.

The statistics, released yesterday by ISD Scotland, also show a record number of working NHS dentists.

Public health minister Michael Matheson said: “Our latest figures show there are record numbers of dentists working in NHS Scotland and this has resulted in more people then ever before being able to access an NHS dentist.

“With increased access we will expect to see improvements in the oral health of the nation.

“We have already seen reports showing that our primary school children have the best oral health since records began.”