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What we delivered in 2025

Published on 04 February 2026

Working with you to improve Dental services in Scotland

Take part in our Practitioner Survey, February 2026

The introduction of Dental Reform has brought many changes to Dental services in recent years. We would like to continue to hear from you. Your feedback helps shape the services we provide to you – what is working well and what would make life easier for you.

The survey is quick (less than 10 minutes), completely confidential, and we will share what we do as a result so you can see the difference your views make. Please respond by 28 February 2026.

Take the survey here.

Reminder: Who are NSS Practitioner Services?

Practitioner Services (PSD) supports safe, effective primary care dental services across Scotland. We manage payments and claims, provide practitioner support with a dedicated Helpdesk, safeguard clinical governance, and translate national policy into clear, practical processes.

Our ongoing work to support dental practitioners in Scotland

During 2025, we continued to deliver core services and improvements that support practitioners and strengthen service delivery. These include:

  • Claim processing: we managed around 4,5 million treatment and registration claims.

  • Customer support: we handled over 16,500 calls and over 57,000 emails.

  • We processed around 40,000 General and 45,000 Orthodontic Prior Approval submissions/resubmissions. We examined 2,450 patients in Scottish Dental Reference Service clinics across all 14 NHS Board areas

We continue to reduce administrative burden, clarify processes, and improve payment reliability. Where wider policy decisions are still in progress, we communicate updates as soon as we can, keeping you informed of any changes.

Two years on: Determination 1 (SDR)

In November 2023, a major change to the Statement of Dental Remuneration (SDR) was implemented. This was one of the most significant policy updates in decades and required extensive systems and process changes.

What we are now seeing operationally:

  • A sustained reduction in common data/entry errors.

  • More claims passing first time checks, with fewer follow ups.

  • More consistent payment timelines where claims are complete and correct.

What this means for you:

  • Less time spent correcting claim issues.

  • Clearer guidance and fewer touchpoints to get a claim right first time.

  • Continued focus from us on clarity and stability in day-to-day processes.

Digitalising the Scottish Dental Reference Service (2025)

We have been modernising aspects of the SDRS processes, such as the introduction of a digital D4 form, which is now in an editable pdf format. This makes it easier for practitioners to submit the required information to SDRS.

Benefits to you include:

  • Clearer structured fields and guidance to reduce avoidable errors.

  • More reliable, visible submission status.

  • Reduced manual handling and associated delays.

Our commitment to you

We use practitioner feedback from surveys, daily contact, and stakeholder discussions to guide our priorities.

  • Clear communication: short updates and an annual Mouthpiece newsletter.

  • Continuous improvement: working with national and local partners.

  • Sharing learning: highlighting common claim issues with simple guidance.

Stay Connected

  • Email us: nss.psddental@nhs.scot
  • Dedicated helpdesk: 0345 034 2458

Customer Helpdesk Hours

  • Monday to Thursday: 08:30–16:30
  • Friday: 08:30–16:00

Catch up on past updates here