Intake pledge met as £526.5 million committed for dentistry in
2026-27 Draft Budget.
The number of Scottish students starting Bachelor of Dental
Surgery (BDS) courses has increased by 7% - the highest increase
in a decade.
The boost in student numbers fulfils a Scottish Government pledge
to deliver an expanded pipeline of new dentists joining the
workforce from 2029. The increase, which came in 2025-26, will be
further supported by the Draft Budget for 2026-27 which outlines
record funding of over £526.5 million for the sector.
The number of Scottish students starting BDS courses has risen by
10 places, up from 135 in September 2024 to 145 from September
2025.
Meeting dental students at the Buchanan Centre in Coatbridge,
Public Health Minister said:
“I am pleased to meet the dental students in the Outreach Clinic
at the Buchanan Centre – these students and trainees are the
future of our NHS dental workforce and it was great to see their
journey in action.
“We have a programme of targeted investment to boost the NHS
dental workforce and this increase to the number of domestic
dental students will ensure a larger pool of new dentists
entering the workforce from 2029.
“We now have more high-street dentists working in Scotland than
pre-pandemic and our draft Budget 2026-27 underlines our
commitment to NHS dentistry, with record funding of over £526
million set aside for the sector. This represents a nearly 40%
increase in funding, on a cash-basis, over the lifetime of this
Parliament. We will continue pushing the UK Government to reverse
their damaging immigration approach and the impact it's having on
the dentistry sector.”
Background
The Scottish Government has delivered a 7% increase in domestic
student numbers from September 2025 – the first regular increase
in student numbers in ten years – to ensure an expanded pipeline
of new dentists entering the workforce from 2029.
2025-26 intakes: University Intake Targets for
Dentistry AY 2025-26 - Scottish Funding Council
2024-25 intakes: University Intake Targets for
Dentistry 2024-25 - Scottish Funding Council
