NHS Scotland Dental Information   (30 January 2007)

"Improving the oral and dental health of the Scottish population is the main aim of all dental services. Information collection, analysis and dissemination informs and monitors the actions of dental services and identifies the most successful treatments and programmes. Accurate information is essential to the operational planning and management of health services in Scotland. Like any other part of the National Health Service, the quality of dental information collected is vitally important for patient care." (from "Dentistry in the New Millennium", Scottish Executive, 2000)

The NHS General Dental Service (GDS) is usually the first point of contact that patients have with dental treatment. Patients register with an NHS General Dentist (a "High Street dentist") to receive the full range of NHS treatment provided by dentists who are independent contractors working on behalf of the local NHS Boards. There are also a number of salaried dentists working in the GDS, who provide an alternative service to the contracted General Dental Practitioners in order to meet the needs of the local population.

The Community Dental Service (CDS) provides treatment for people who are unable to access NHS General Dental Services (GDS). For example:

• only specialist CDS services are appropriate if someone has special needs (mental health problems, a physical disability, etc.);
  
• in certain areas there may be few General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) providing NHS treatment;
  
• people may be resident in long-stay care (learning disability or geriatric hospitals, etc.).

The CDS also plays a major role in dental health promotion and education and in the National Dental Inspection Programmes in schools. 

Consultant-led Hospital Dental Services are provided in the Dental Hospitals of Glasgow and Dundee, at the Edinburgh Dental Institute and in acute general hospitals.