AQW 22836/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 18/02/2025
Answered On Date: 05/03/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for his Department's assessment of (i) current availability; and (ii) future sustainability of orthodontics in North Down.

Answer:

All general dental practitioners in Northern Ireland can provide orthodontic treatment under the General Dental Services contract without a specialist qualification.

A number of high street specialist orthodontic practices are located across Northern Ireland, with one such practice located in Bangor, County Down.

I am aware that there has been in increase in waiting times for orthodontic treatment through specialist practices due to increased demand for treatment and the small number of specialists who are working in practice.

Sustainability of the orthodontic workforce is influenced by a number of factors including the available dental workforce. There are currently a number of Dental Core Trainees working within the orthodontic specialty in the School of Dentistry, Belfast. As of February 2025, there is one orthodontic specialist trainee in post completing the consultant training pathway. In recent years the School of Dentistry has been unable to support the training of orthodontic specialty trainees seeking to complete qualification for entry to the orthodontic Specialist List due to a lack of capacity within the consultant team.

The Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency are actively exploring innovative solutions to support orthodontic provision in Northern Ireland. This includes the establishment of a Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy, commencing in June 2025, for the first time in Northern Ireland. Orthodontic therapists are able to carry out a range of orthodontic treatment, under the direction of an orthodontist or dentist, as part of skill mix team in specialist practice.