Four new NHS dental centres costing £2 million will open in Fife within the next three months, creating 68 new jobs, while improving service provision for the region's patients.

The first of the practices in Cowdenbeath, Cupar, Dunfermline and Leslie could be handed over from the contractors within the next few weeks, with the developments being paid for by the Scottish Government.

Dawn Adams of NHS Fife dental services said, "We are delighted to be able to expand services throughout Fife giving priority initially to children, adults with special needs and those over 75 years.

"The new centres will ensure access to local dental services for these groups with the intention to extend the scope of registration within the units in the future."

The funding comes from a wider £75 million package for Scotland lasting until 2011. Fife has the country's fifth worst dental registration record, with only 171,000 people registered.

Fife Labour MSP Clare Baker said, "These new dental services are a welcome step forward for people in Fife struggling to find an NHS dentist.

"I'm glad that a decision made by Labour in the last Parliament is now coming to fruition.

"Less than two thirds of children and less than half of adults in Fife are registered with an NHS dentist.

"I hope these new services will improve these figures but there's clearly a long way to go, and the SNP must do more than simply rest on our own achievements."

NHS Fife are making a number of improvements to address provision, with the number of children registered going up 4% to 64.4% and the total of adults registered increasing from 40% to 43.2% in the past year.

Central Fife SNP MSP Tricia Marwick said, "It is really good news for the whole of Fife and praise has to go to the SNP Government who have worked so hard to redress the dreadful situation they inherited.

"There is still a long way to go in terms of provision and ideally we want to get back to where we were 10 years ago when everybody had good access to dental treatment."

Advice on accessing community dental services can be found at www.nhsfife.scot.nhs.uk/cds and will be distributed throughout dental practices and health centres throughout Fife.