To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of (i) the current trend of the provision of dentists providing NHS care; and (ii) how this is affecting dental care for (a) children; and (b) the wider population.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to a Health Service dentist was generally good. As of 31 March 2021, there were 59.8 dentists per 100,000 of the resident population in Northern Ireland, compared to 42.2 in England and 65% of the Northern Ireland population were registered with a practicing health service dentist.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on capacity within GDS, with dentists currently completing around 59% of their pre-pandemic activity in Q4 2021/22. Practices have largely dealt with those patients experiencing urgent symptoms and many have been offering appointments for check-ups and routine treatment for many months.

Recent easing of Infection Prevention and Control procedures within all health care settings and the introduction of the Rebuilding Support Scheme (RSS) in April 2022 is expected to further increase capacity within practices resulting in improved access. Additional investment has been committed for the first quarter of 2022/23 to further support dental practices, with dental fees being enhanced by 25% as part of the RSS to reflect the ongoing pandemic pressures practices are facing.

However, I do not underestimate the impact that the last two years will have had on the dental health of the population nor the repercussions this will have over the coming years.

My Department is committed to working with the BDA and other organisations to develop further strategies that will mitigate the impact of the pandemic on dental health over time, and build a sustainable, financially viable future for GDS.

The Chief Dental Officer has established Oral Health Options Groups to allow for the consideration and development of further interventions for the two most urgent groups at present; namely, children and older people. We are making excellent progress in some key areas. For example, data for five year-old children provides evidence of further significant improvement in respect of the relevant Oral Health Strategy targets.