The region has lost more than 10 per cent of its NHS dentists in just three years.
New figures show there were 10 fewer NHS dentists operating in Dumfries and Galloway in the first part of 2022/23 compared to 2019/20.
The data, unveiled by the Scottish Liberal Democrats following a series of Freedom of Information requests, also show 11 of the country’s 14 health boards saw a fall in the number of dentists carrying out NHS procedures over the period.
The party’s leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, said: “Today’s figures point to this government’s unacceptable failure to support NHS dentistry in Scotland.
“Dentists are stopping offering NHS services because of the low rates they receive for NHS work and the barriers thrown in their way by Scottish Government ministers.
“For many of them the pandemic was the last straw. They have decided it is simply less hassle to work privately.
“Liberal Democrat research recently revealed that one in five of those who cannot get a dentist appointment decide to turn to unlicensed alternatives or perform dental work on themselves. That is simply barbaric.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that toothcare, like any other form of healthcare, should be universally accessible - it cannot just be for those who can afford to pay privately.
Dumfries and Galloway has suffered a series of blows to NHS dental provision in recent years.
Two practices in Castle Douglas closed in the space of 15 months, with one in Newton Stewart also ceasing to operate.
And one practice in Gretna has stopped taking on NHS work, with one in Dumfries beginning to de-register NHS patients.
That situation is reflected in the data obtained by the Liberal Democrats.
Their figures show that in 2019/2020, a total of 92 dentists claimed for carrying out NHS procedures in Dumfries and Galloway.
Between April and November 2022, that figure had fallen to 82. Across Scotland, the number fell from 3,407 to 3,155.
Mr Cole-Hamilton called on the Scottish Government to “rewrite” its NHS recovery plan to give dentists more recognition and reform funding structures.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “A record number of people are registered with an NHS dentist, covering more than 95 per cent of the population of Scotland, and across key treatments NHS dental services are at comparable levels of activity to levels last seen before pandemic restrictions were introduced. Dentistry is an important part of our NHS recovery plan.
“More than 1.5 million NHS examination appointments were completed between April and October, with an average of more than 300,000 courses of treatment per month, meaning we are on course for more than 3.5 million contacts in the 2022/23 financial year.
