Aberdeen Dental School has been officially opened by Scottish public health minister Shona Robison.

The school, which is graduate-only entry, offers a four-year course and will eventually train 20 dentists a year. But the first year's cohort is limited to 15 students.

Students at the school are eligible for a bursary of £4,000 a year from the NHS, on condition that they carry out five years' (or part-time equivalent) of NHS dental work in Scotland, beginning within one year of graduation.

Opening the new building, which is due for completion in October next year, Ms Robison, pictured with Dr Jim Newton, acting lead of the new dental school, said: 'Today's opening proves how serious we are in the Scottish government about reversing the long-term decline in NHS dentistry in Scotland. Young dentists who train at the dental school will provide a significant boost to the numbers of trained practitioners in our country, helping to bring NHS dentistry within reach of more and more people.'

Daria McDowall, project co-ordinator at Aberdeen Dental School, said offers had gone out on the posts of lecturer in oral biology, clinical teaching fellow in restorative dentistry and senior clinical lecturer in restorative dentistry. Meanwhile teaching is being done by staff from Aberdeen and Dundee universities, guest lecturers from other dental schools and GDPs.

Andrew Lamb, BDA director for Scotland, said the opening of the new school was good news and increased the number and geographical spread of students training across Scotland. 'We must be careful though that resources are not taken away from existing dental schools at Dundee and Glasgow. It is important that all three training institutions in Scotland are adequately resourced and staffed,' he said.