AQW 34457/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 03/11/2025
Answered On Date: 18/11/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the timeline and objectives of the General Dental Services Cost of Service Review; and (ii) whether its recommendations will be implemented to ensure the sustainability of NHS dentistry.

Answer:

The cost-of-service review is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026. It is being carried out by Professor Ciaran O’Neill, Professor of Health Economics at QUB.

The objective of the review is to identify the cost per hour of running a dentist’s chair to deliver Health Service treatment within a dental surgery in Northern Ireland.

The outcome will be a report detailing the cost per hour of running a dentist’s chair to deliver Health Service dentistry in a majority Health Service practice in Northern Ireland.

The review is intended to provide a robust evidence base to inform and shape future policy and investment decisions.