Anas Sarwar has pledged to “fix” the SNP’s “mess” and restore NHS dentistry in Scotland.
The Scottish Labour leader, a former dentist, warned Scots the NHS was “not safe” with First Minister John Swinney as he accused the Government of creating “dental deserts” across the country.
Scottish Labour said the SNP’s record on dentistry was “one of decline, broken promises and neglect”, and that families across Scotland were struggling to get appointments with too many patients left in pain.
The party pointed to figures from Public Health Scotland that showed more than 1.8 million patients registered with an NHS dentist have not been seen in the past two years, including more than 150,000 children.
As a former NHS dentist, I know the difference early treatment can make. I know how important it is that families can get care close to home and without being left waiting in pain
At the end of 2025, 5,246,319 people were registered with an NHS dentist in Scotland, but only 3,251,908 had attended in the past two years.
That means about 62% of registered patients had been seen, with the figure decreasing to 57.6% for adults.
With less than a week to the election, Scottish Labour has pledged to “restore” NHS dentistry and “end dental deserts” by incentivising newly-qualified dentists to work in underserved and deprived areas, increasing the number of dental therapists as part of a workforce plan and requiring Scottish dental students to work in the NHS for five years or repay their tuition and bursaries.
The party also promised to double the coverage of Childsmile by expanding the toothbrushing programme to primary three and four in targeted schools while improving access to dental health support workers in deprived communities and for families who need extra help.
Mr Sarwar said: “Scotland needs change after 20 years of SNP government.
“Our NHS is not safe with John Swinney and the SNP, and nowhere is that clearer than in NHS dentistry.
“As a former NHS dentist, I know the difference early treatment can make. I know how important it is that families can get care close to home and without being left waiting in pain.
“But the SNP has run NHS dentistry into the ground.
“They have created dental deserts across Scotland, left families struggling to get appointments and left too many children missing out on the care they need.”
The Scottish Labour leader said the nearly two million Scots who had not seen a dentist in two years was the “damning verdict of 20 years of SNP failure”.
He added: “I’m standing to fix the mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Scotland.
“A Scottish Labour government I lead will restore NHS dentistry by getting more dentists and dental therapists into the communities that need them most, backing Childsmile and making sure dental students trained in Scotland give back to Scotland’s NHS.
“This is about ending dental deserts, putting patients first and making sure families can once again rely on NHS dentistry.
“On May 7, vote Scottish Labour on both votes for the change Scotland needs.”
George Adam, SNP candidate for Paisley, said: “For someone who plans to slash £1 billion from Scotland’s NHS budget, Anas Sarwar is making a lot of promises about our health service – but history shows us that his promises don’t even last as long as his short-lived dentistry career.
“Under the SNP, 95% of Scotland’s population is registered with an NHS dentist – a significantly higher proportion than in the rest of the UK. We also have more NHS dentists per head of population than in Labour-run England and Wales.
“Everyone in Scotland is entitled to free NHS dental examinations, with around a quarter of all adults – including people under 26, and pregnant and new mothers – receiving free care and treatment.
“Under John Swinney’s reliable leadership, the SNP is relentlessly focused on improving Scotland’s NHS and the results show our plan is working. It is only by voting for an SNP majority on May 7th that we can see this plan through.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that toothcare should be like any other form of medical treatment: universally accessible and close to home.
“In our recent budget negotiations we secured millions of pounds to expand the number of training places for dentists.
“However, there is still so much more to do. That’s why I have set out plans for incorporating dentistry into a rolling, 10-year NHS and care workforce plan, and bringing dentists back to the NHS from the private sector.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Given Labour’s history of U-turns, you can’t trust them to deliver on these proposals.
“It’s next to impossible for Scots to get a dentist appointment, because SNP ministers have doubled down on a flawed funding model and failed to tackle the huge backlog of appointments built up by the pandemic.
“That’s why we have pledged to conduct a root-and-branch review of the dentist funding model to ensure that patients get access to an NHS dentist.
“If the SNP win the election, the dental crisis will only get worse. That’s why you need to vote Scottish Conservative on your peach ballot – it’s your secret weapon to stop an SNP majority.”
A Reform spokesperson said: “Anas Sarwar is right about one thing, Scotland’s NHS dentistry is in crisis after years of SNP mismanagement but pretending Labour is the answer asks voters to forget that many of the same problems exist in Labour-run parts of the UK.
“This is not just an SNP failure but a wider political failure from establishment parties who have run public services into the ground for generations whilst avoiding honest conversations about reform.
“Forcing graduates to stay in the NHS or expanding existing schemes won’t fix the core issue of a system that is over-centralised, bureaucratic, and failing to attract and retain professionals because it simply doesn’t work for them.
“We do however hope that Anas does manage to help the NHS by going back to dentistry after he loses his seat in a week’s time.”