AQW 4588/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 13/10/2022
Answered On Date: 18/10/2022
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health where can members of the public who notice any potential signs or symptoms of oral cancers go to be checked out if they are not registered with a health service dentist, and cannot get registered with a health service dentist due to the current access problems.

Answer:

Oral cancer can affect anyone and members of the public are encouraged to check for unusual changes in their mouths. Any person who is concerned about changes in their mouth is advised to contact a dental practitioner and explain their concern, along with any known risk factors including smoking or drinking alcohol.

I am aware that lower levels of dental activity combined with a large backlog of patients are resulting in a continuing reduced capacity in general dental practices. To ensure that this more limited capacity is targeted appropriately, dentists are asked to prioritise patients requiring emergency or urgent care. This includes any patient concerned about oral cancer signs and symptoms.

My Department has increased the availability of appointments for non-registered patients who have urgent and emergency treatments needs with a pathfinder scheme underway for unregistered patients, including asylum seekers, who have an urgent need.

In addition, Emergency Dental Clinics have capacity to provide emergency dental care at weekends and public holidays. Members of the public concerned about any suspect changes in their mouth can contact a central triage telephone number where their issue will be triaged remotely, and appropriate advice given.