To ask the Minister of Health (i) what plans he will put in place to reverse the decline of the number of adults registered with an NHS dentist; and (ii) , in relation to the General Dental Services Statistics 2023/24 that states 66 per cent of adults are registered with an NHS dentist, for his assessment of whether oral cancers are less likely to be discovered at an early and more treatable stage.

Between 2014 and 2021 the percentage of the population registered with a dentist remained stable at around 64%. This increased to 70% by 2023, primarily because the decision was made to extend patient registrations automatically due to the impact of the pandemic. Whilst there has been a recent decrease in total registrations to 68%, this is still higher than at any time pre-pandemic.

Despite registration rates remaining relatively high, with over two-thirds of the Northern Ireland population registered with a practising health service dentist, I am aware that some practices are reducing their level of Health Service commitment.

To further support practices and patients, my Department has introduced measures to ensure that patients in need can receive treatment, while options for longer term reform are developed.

In March 2024, in addition to the 6% pay uplift for General Dental Services for 2023/24, the Department also announced a £9.2m investment package. This includes:

£1m for newly registered child patients through the reestablishment of the Enhanced Child Examination Scheme. This scheme provides children aged 0-10 who have not been registered with a dentist with an examination, individualised oral health advice and age-specific fluoride application to teeth to assist with preventing dental decay;

£4.3m to fund a 30% enhancement to fees paid to dentists for health service fillings, extractions and root canal treatment for 2024/25, to support public access to priority treatments; and

£3.9m for the treatment of high priority unregistered patients through a Dental Access Scheme.

Cases of oral cancer are rising across the UK and unfortunately the majority of cases are diagnosed in stages III and IV. Opportunistic oral cancer screening during the oral clinical examination will help identify lesions of concern, but one of the most important factors for early diagnosis of mouth cancer is self-examination at home. Many people who are most at risk do not routinely engage with healthcare services and will only attend a dentist or doctor when they are experiencing pain or other symptoms.

The Department continues to work with HSC Trusts to ensure that red flag referrals are seen as quickly as possible. According to the most recently published waiting time statistics (cancer waiting times October – December 2023) 95.6% of head and neck cancers were treated within 31 days.