Debate contribution: Dental Care

Debate contribution by Ms Claire Sugden on 27 May 2025.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

27 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Dental Care

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4972189

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I support the motion and the amendment. Every week, I hear from people who cannot get a dentist, whether they are in pain or are trying just to keep up with routine care. They have been left with nowhere to turn, and the situation is getting worse. Across my constituency and, as we have heard, Northern Ireland, people who had a health service dentist for years are now being told that dentists will no longer accept HSC patients. Some practices have gone fully private, while others have waiting lists with no clear end in sight. The result is that people, particularly older people and those on low incomes, go without basic care. We need to be honest about what has happened. Health service dentistry may still exist on paper, but, for many people in Northern Ireland, it has been privatised. It is no longer available in practice, and we have ended up with a two-tier system. If people can afford to pay privately, they will be seen. If they cannot, they will wait, suffer or simply go without. Even for those lucky enough to remain registered with a health service dentist, the idea of routine, six-monthly check-ups is long gone. I have spoken to patients who wait well over a year between appointments, by which time small issues have become serious and early intervention is no longer an option. That is not just inconvenient but clinically dangerous. Oral health problems do not wait, and, for some groups, the risks are even higher. For example, we know that hormonal changes in pregnant women can increase the risk of gum disease and other dental issues. Untreated dental infections can have consequences for mothers and their babies. That is why access to timely dental care during pregnancy is so important. If, however, they are not registered or their practice has gone private, it is almost impossible for them to be seen. Part of the problem is with the financial model, as we have heard. Dentists are under enormous pressure. They want to treat health service patients, but the fees paid by the Department of Health do not come close to covering the real cost of providing that care. We have to remember that dental practices are small businesses. They have overheads, staff, premises, equipment and tight margins, and, if they cannot make the numbers work, they cannot stay open. They have tried begging the Department of Health, but no help has been forthcoming. I have also heard from dentists about serious delays in payments from the Business Services Organisation (BSO). For practices that are already struggling with cash flow, that creates real risk. Some practices have told me that, months later, they still wait to be reimbursed for treatment that they have delivered. Such dysfunction not just puts pressure on staff but undermines the entire viability of health service dentistry. We need the Minister to publish the findings of the general dental services cost-of-service review urgently. We have been waiting for it for far too long. Dentists need clarity, the Department needs evidence, and patients need reassurance that health service care will not keep slipping further out of reach. At the same time, we need to focus on prevention. Early and routine dental care reduces the need for complex interventions, improves overall health and takes the pressure off other services. Poor oral health is, as we have heard, linked to heart disease, diabetes and even dementia. It is not just about teeth and a nice smile but about long-term outcomes and the sustainability of our wider health service. Crucially, we need a plan to stabilise and grow the workforce. Morale is really low. Dentists are burnt out, and many are thinking of leaving the profession. We will not have a public health dentistry service unless we make it viable and attractive to stay in. The Minister needs to act now, with a real strategy, so that health service dentistry can again work for patients and for the professionals who provide the care. Access to dental treatment should not depend on a person's income. It should be a basic right, not a luxury, and the Assembly has a duty to ensure that right for the people whom we represent.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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