WIREDGOV

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 Jenni Minto 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