MORE than half of Scotland's adults do not have an NHS dentist - despite a £350million drive to improve access to check-ups.

New figures reveal the Scottish Government is significantly behind in its 2008 target to enable 400,000 new people to join an NHS dental practice.

Ministers welcomed recent increases in the number of patients registered with a dentist, but experts warned this may not actually mean more people are having their teeth examined.

Tory health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon branded the situation "a disgrace".

Scots children suffer the highest rates of tooth decay in the UK.

Ministers pledged to recruit 200 extra dentists and set a target of registering 400,000 new NHS patients by this year. More than £350m over three years was allocated to address the problems. This period of investment is almost over.

New figures show 48% of adults and 70% of under-18s were registered with a dentist last September, a rise of around 2% in a year.