It is concerning that six council areas in Scotland have become so-called dental deserts.
It means no practices are able to take on new adult NHS patients within three months.
However, the problems in receiving adequate dental care go beyond the areas we report on today.
Just one in four practices across the country said they could offer NHS appointments within three months.
From Stranraer to Shetland, people are unable to be seen by a dentist within a reasonable time frame.
The shortage of dental provision – initially highlighted by a BBC investigation – is alarming.
The British Dental Association is right to raise a red flag and demand action.
The organisation’s Scottish branch has called for “a fully funded workforce plan” to recruit and retain dentists.
It has also said that we need to look at prevention rather than treatment and has urged the Scottish Government to do more.
But in order to have a strategy to meet the needs of the nation, the first step must be to have enough dentists.
The Scottish Government have made reforms that have been welcomed by the BDA.
But if there is such a dearth of dentists then how can everything else fall into place?
The Scottish Government can start by employing more NHS dentists to help create more capacity and improve access to appointments. Action cannot come a moment too soon.
Too many Scots are going without vital treatment and the longer this goes on, the rot could set in.
Generous gesture
Sir Tom Hunter has a long and distinguished record of philanthropy.
The self-made billionaire has given millions to good causes over the years.
So it wasn’t a huge surprise to learn it was Sir Tom who stepped in to pay for the repatriation of Alex Salmond’s body back to Scotland.
As the businessman said in a statement yesterday, he is strictly apolitical and did not agree with all of the former first minister’s viewpoints.
But Hunter wanted to help someone who he said had devoted his life to Scotland.
It’s a generous offer which will be gratefully received by Salmond’s family.
But questions remain as to why a private citizen had to intervene in the first place.
Given his status as a former first minister, surely it would have been appropriate for the Scottish Government to charter a flight to bring him home?
Perhaps an explanation will be given in time.