BDA Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to accept the recommendation in the 47th report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) of an above inflation 2.5% net uplift for general dental practitioners.

This follows the announcement in July that the UK Government has accepted the 2.5% recommendation for dentists in England.

The BDA is also calling on the Scottish Government to award at least 3% for expenses, introduce the overall pay uplifts as soon as possible and backdate them to April 2019.

David McColl, Chair of the Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: 'While we were disappointed in the delay in publishing the DDRB report, the Scottish Government now needs to follow its Westminster counterpart and announce that it accepts the DDRB recommendation.

'To avoid significant recruitment and retention problems, an above-inflation increase is now the very least Ministers can do if they want NHS dentistry in Scotland to remain sustainable.

'Implementing DDRB recommendations in full won't reverse a 30% collapse in real incomes, but it will send a clear signal that we have finally turned a corner on a pay policy that has put increasing pressure on NHS services.'