Funding to improve facilities at dental practices has been announced by the Scottish Executive.

Deputy Health Minister Mary Mulligan said she believed the �3m would improve access for patients with disabilities.

The minister also announced an extra �220,000 for dentistry training, which will provide an extra �2,000 of funding for each of Scotland's 110 dental trainers.

The experts supervise trainees during their vocational learning.

Where the money will go

Arygll & Clyde �271,444 Ayrshire and Arran �210,489 Borders �55,250 Dumfries & Galloway �62,756 Fife �186,468 Forth Valley �161, 245 Grampian �264,538 Greater Glasgow �599,340 Highland �107,497 Lanarkshire �321,890 Lothian �480,132 Orkney �8,708 Shetland �9,308 Tayside �245,921 Western Isles �15,014

The announcement follows a separate �3.8m investment in NHS dental services last November.

In April of this year, the executive also promised a �1m "golden hello" package to improve the recruitment and retention of NHS dentists in remote and rural parts of Scotland.

Ms Mulligan said the latest funding would help dentists meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

She said: "In addition to this investment in practices, I am also delighted to announce that as part of our commitment towards encouraging and supporting more newly qualified dentists to work in the NHS, we will be providing additional funding to vocational trainers.

"By improving access to NHS dental services and by investing in dental premises, we hope that more Scots will visit their dentist more often and in the future be spared from the misery of dental decay, fillings and extractions."

The announcement was welcomed by Graham McKirdy, chairman of the Scottish Dental Practice Committee.

He said: "We are pleased that the Scottish Executive has acknowledged the commitment of dentists to high quality training in the NHS.

"We will shortly be working with the executive to further access and agree a fair reward for that commitment."