Thirty-one dentists will benefit

The "remote area allowance" paid by the Scottish Executive is to rise from �1,500 to �3,000 a year.

Thirty-one dentists in areas including the Highlands, the islands, Dumfries and Galloway and Argyll and Clyde, will benefit.

The allowance was introduced last April as part of a package of measures to tackle the problem of recruitment and retention of dentists in rural areas.

Deputy Health Minister Mary Mulligan said: "This increase recognises the particular pressures on NHS dentists working in these parts of Scotland, including increased costs in running their practice."

Robert Donald, chairman of the British Dental Association's Scottish Dental Practice Committee, welcomed the recognition that more needed to be done to support remote and rural dentists.