But health chiefs are still concerned about the low numbers of children registered with an NHS dentist.

Despite 1,170 more children being signed up with dentists in Moray over the last 18 months, overall just 55% are registered with a practice delivering NHS treatment.

That gives Moray one of the lowest levels in Scotland, Ray Watkins, consultant in dental public health for NHS Grampian, told local health administrators.

"There are a huge number of children who are not getting any kind of dental service," he said.

Mr Watkins is confident that the Child Smile initiative, designed to promote good oral health among nursery and early-years primary school youngsters, will start to deliver increased NHS registration among children.

The increased provision of NHS dental facilities and practising dentists in Moray has seen a huge increase in the number of adults registering for NHS treatment in the last 18 months, with 10,286 more registered over this period, taking the total number of adults with an NHS dentist to 19,125.

That is compared to just over 10,000 registered adults in June, 2007.

Across Moray, 29,770 adults and children are registered with an NHS practice.

The chronic shortage of NHS dentists in Moray has been eased in the last couple of years with long overdue investment in local facilities and a recruitment drive to fill them.

In the last year alone, said Mr Watkins, three new dental practices have opened in Moray, mainly offering NHS care. These were at Glassgreen in New Elgin, Bishopmill, and the new Spynie Dental Centre, the largest, with ten surgeries.

Dental health workers Stef Sheard (left) and Margaret Bayley are helping to improve oral health in Moray through Child Smile. Aby Barksby

The creation of an Aberdeen Dental School has also started to ensure a steady stream of dental trainees coming through the system.

However, Mr Watkins said that progress was still not happening as quickly as he would like.

"Moray still has some of the poorest dental services in Scotland," he told members of the Moray Community Health and Social Care Partnership.

In the next year, Moray will welcome four dental students to the area, a number of highly qualified dental therapists and five newly qualified dental surgeons. Moray currently trains around 15 dental nurses each year.

Increasing access to NHS dentists, coupled with health initiatives such as Child Smile, have seen Moray lead the way in oral health improvement in Grampian, said Mr Watkins.

The area has met all of the Scottish Government targets for 2010, which are: 60% of P1-5 children with no decay when starting school; 60% of seven- to 11-year-olds with no decay in permanent teeth, and less than 10% of adults with no teeth left.

Mr Watkins said that an emergency dental service across Moray was being developed, with more practices applying to join a rota of weekend providers of emergency treatment. Within a year, he expected there to be a Grampian-wide whole-weekend emergency service.

This will guarantee that people will be seen within an hour if they have an urgent dental emergency, and within 24 hours for extreme pain and other conditions. NHS 24 is the first point of contact for people with a dental emergency.

c.saunderson@northern-scot.co.uk

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