All Scots under the age of 26 will now receive free dental care under the NHS, with surgeries set to gain an injection of funds to help it recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish government revealed on August 25.
NHS Dental Surgery. Credit: T H Shah / Shutterstock
Dental surgeries can apply for funding to aid in the purchase of new technology such as aerosol-free drills. The funding was announced on the same day as the fee waives. Credit: T H Shah / Shutterstock
The dental industry will gain £7.5 million (€8.76 million) in funding, which will go towards funding new tech, such as new drills that do not release as much aerosol as other dental drills, allowing practitioners to minimise the chance of Covid-19 infection between patients.
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The new bill will come into effect immediately with no opt-in required. Those who started a course of NHS treatment before their 26th birthday will also be eligible.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We’re committed to scrapping NHS dental charges for everyone in Scotland, and removing them for everyone aged under 26 is our first step on that journey. Today’s announcement means around 600,000 young people aged under 26 will benefit from free dental care from 24 August.
“I want to thank the dental sector for its outstanding efforts over the last challenging period and I look forward to engaging with you further as the Scottish Government continues to support practice recovery and improved NHS dental services for patients."
Removing healthcare costs for younger people have been a pledge of the new Scottish government, with them having set a goal of implementing policies such as this within 100 days of coming into power.
Many dental practices had to close during the pandemic, and this funding may stand to help them recover from months without business.
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“Alongside our previously announced £5 million (€5.84 million) to improve ventilation, this will further enable dental practices to see more NHS patients under present Covid restrictions, and demonstrates our commitment to NHS dental services," Yousaf added.
"I will continue to engage with the sector, as we look to remobilise our dental services in a way that is safe," he added.
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