Minister announces £2 million boost for dental practices

Health Minister Paul Goggins today announced additional funding of £2 million for dental practices.

Mr Goggins has listened and responded to concerns from the dental profession about the increasing costs of running a dental practice.

The extra funding will be targeted directly at those practices providing dedicated health service dentistry and will be allocated in the 2007/08 financial year.

He said: "My aim is to provide the best oral healthcare possible for the people of Northern Ireland. That can only happen if we have high standards, delivered by dentists in modern practices, which put patients first. I have listened carefully to the concerns raised by the dental profession, and believe that this additional £2 million will be a significant boost and enable dentists in Northern Ireland to provide top class treatment."

The Primary Dental Care Strategy, which was launched in November 2006, describes a model for the future delivery of primary dental care in Northern Ireland.

The Strategy is designed to support the implementation of the new Oral Health Strategy by developing an effective primary care dental delivery system.

The Department of Health published a standard general dental services contract in December 2005, revised in March 2006. The contract was intended to move dentistry away from item of service payment to a new system based in Units of Dental Activity. However, the contract has not proved popular with the British Dental Association.

Work has commenced on a Northern Ireland dental contract which will determine future remuneration arrangements for dentists in the province. A series of meeting has been arranged between the DHSSPS and the Dental Practice Committee of the British Dental Association. It is envisaged that the new contract will be piloted in the Spring of 2008.

(EF/SP)