More than 20 qualified dentists will graduate every year from the new Aberdeen Dental School, which was officially opened today, once it is fully up and running.

The Scottish Government and NHS Grampian have invested over £21 million in the project, which will be transferred to a new, purpose-built facility at the beginning of the 2009 academic year.

Undergraduate students will be offered a bursary of £4,000 a year on the condition they agree to do five years of dental work in Scotland. Under the terms of the funding this work must begin within a year of their graduation.

The Scottish Government believes this will have a significant impact on access to NHS dentists, particularly in the north and north-east of Scotland.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: "Today's opening proves how serious we in the Scottish Government are about reversing the long-term decline in NHS dentistry in Scotland.

"Young dentists who train at the dental school will provide a significant boost to the numbers of trained practitioners in our country, helping to bring NHS dentistry within reach of more and more people.

"We want as many people as possible to have access to an NHS dentist because we know good oral health is a key component of general health and wellbeing. For that reason, we have realised this key manifesto pledge quickly. 

"In the 60th anniversary year of NHS Scotland, this is a fitting monument to our determination to ensure that everyone in Scotland has access to good quality healthcare – and this must include dentistry."

Professor Stephen Logan, senior vice-principal at the University of Aberdeen, added that the project will deliver "an entirely new model in dental education for Scotland", something he warmly welcomed.

"The University of Aberdeen Dental School is a tremendously important development in relation to dental education and dental service provision for Aberdeen and the north-east of Scotland."

The undergraduate course lasts four years, with 15 students admitted in the new school's first year, and 20 student places available each year once the school relocates to its new building.