Debate contribution: Dental Services: Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Debate contribution by Miss Nuala McAllister on 25 February 2025.

MLA

Miss Nuala McAllister

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

25 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Dental Services: Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4815559

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I do not intend to take all five minutes, but I thought that it was important, even though I am not an MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, to speak to the issues. As the Member who secured the debate stated, the issue affects all of us across Northern Ireland. An issue that I would particularly like to highlight today is people in areas of multiple deprivation not being able to access dental services. I am sure that the constituency MLAs will recognise what I see in my constituency of North Belfast, which is that people in areas of multiple deprivation have greater need of dental treatment. Not only are they unable to pay for private treatment but their need to see a dentist results from societal issues, because of living in poverty. When we look at the convenience foods, quick snacks and things that we can buy on the cheap, we see that they, more often than not, have added sugar and other additives. That results in more need for access to dental care. There is also an issue with the services provided by schools and Education. When I first spoke in the Chamber about access to dental treatment, it was as Health spokesperson for the Alliance Party, after a dentist had reached out to me to highlight the fact that children can and should be brought to a dentist by the time they reach their first birthday — most parents would not recognise that — yet, a lot of children have not been to a dentist by the time that they get to primary school. We see that in all constituencies in Northern Ireland now, unfortunately, because people simply do not have a choice; they do not have access to dental care. There has been a bit of an uplift in access for children throughout our constituencies. When people contact my office, there is now somewhere we can refer them, but we cannot refer adults anywhere. I can only imagine what it is like in the more rural constituencies. It is easier for me, as I can walk down the Antrim Road in North Belfast and pass numerous dentists on my way. I cannot imagine what it is like in a rural constituency where you have to drive from village to village and to different towns because there is a general lack of services, never mind dentistry. It is important that we speak with one voice when we talk about securing reform of dental services. On the Health Committee — I know that we have other Health Committee members here — we consistently look at that area, and we often speak to the British Dental Association. It knows that dentistry is at crisis point. When we visited Daisy Hill Hospital a few weeks ago, we heard about a pilot of dental services there that is providing a lot of the treatment being given to children across Northern Ireland. When we see its impact, perhaps it could be rolled out. The children whom we are talking about need dental services in hospital because they have waited so long for treatment or they have been so badly affected where they are based. That hospital reaches out into rural constituencies. It is really important to focus on the situation and to give the funding model for dentistry the proper focus. I do not doubt for a second that the Minister's hands are tied by the available budget, but, where we can, we should do everything in our power to ensure that there is equity in those services across Northern Ireland. It is easier for those who live in the city and have access to public transport to travel that little bit further than for those who live rurally. I thank the proposer for securing the Adjournment debate. I had not intended to speak, but it is important that someone who sits on the Health Committee and represents a city constituency speaks up and recognises that there are individualised issues for rural constituencies.

676 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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