Welcome for Health Minister u-turn to keep open Emergency Dental Treatment Centres in face of dental PPE crisis

Health Department must now directly source appropriate PPE for dentists and bring forward investment in NHS dental services

90 percent of dentists reported to be without the right PPE to conduct Aerosol generating procedures such as fillings

Cross-community Labour councillor Donal O’Cofaigh welcomed the last minute u-turn by the Health Department to avert a crisis in dentistry in Northern Ireland but called for more investment in NHS provision.

“I wrote to Minister Swann yesterday to demand he urgently review the pending closure of the five Emergency Dental Treatment Centres which risked leaving patients, in particular NHS patients, facing only one option when it came to a toothache – that of having their tooth removed.

“The plans to close the emergency treatment centres, which have provided access to ‘aerosol generating procedures’ or AGPs such as drilling for fillings during the Covid lockdown, were timed to coincide with the full reopening of dentists across Northern Ireland. But a major immediate problem was that these dentists had not been issued with or able to obtain privately the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to conduct AGPs - meaning that the only treatment that could be offered for the more serious complaints was tooth extraction.

“Today’s decision comes only on the back of mounting media coverage of the crisis but whatever the reason for this belated action, I wish to welcome it as it averts the immediate prospect of a major dental crisis – in particular impacting children, the elderly and the most vulnerable.

“I also understand from dentists that have been notified that they will be provided a payment of £500 per practice to fit staff for PPE and again while this is welcome it doesn’t address the pressing supply problems – either in terms of appropriate PPE or specialists to do the ‘fit-outs’. The Department has a responsibility to conduct this work and source the appropriate PPE.

“What is more the requirement for a one hour ‘fallow period’ after each AGPs will mean dentists might be only able to see a maximum of two patients in a morning. The cumulative impact of all these moves is likely to be mounting delays in seeing a dentist, the imposition of £30 surcharges to paying clients, and the reliance of NHS patients on the emergency treatment centres in cases where they require AGPs. There are genuine fears that this will become a permanent feature meaning NHS patients are denied treatment from their dentist in the longer-term.

“This is crisis reflects the failure of consecutive Health Ministers to properly invest in dental health, as well as the lack of universal NHS dental provision. The long-term solution must be major investment and direct recruitment to expand universally-accessible NHS dental services free at the point of delivery and funded by general and progressive taxation.”