AQW 51180/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 07/09/2026
Answered On Date: 28/09/2026
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of children currently awaiting paediatric dental treatment requiring general anaesthetic, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.

Answer:

All five HSC Trusts offer dental treatment under General Anaesthetic (GA) to children.

The number of children currently awaiting paediatric dental treatment requiring GA are shown in the table below. These figures have been obtained directly from the HSC Trusts.

Trust	Number of Children waiting Assessment for GA	Number of Children on a Review Waiting List for GA	Number of Children on a Surgical Waiting List	Total
Southern Health and Social Care Trust	13	0	266	279
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust	1143	104	66	1313
Northern Health and Social Care Trust	966	97	127	1190
South-Eastern Health and Social Care Trust	465	69	74	608
Western Health and Social Care Trust	99	0	107	206
Total NI	2686	270	640	3596

Children may be awaiting assessment, review, or placement on a surgical list before treatment under GA is undertaken. Figures therefore represent those within the paediatric GA pathway rather than solely those awaiting a theatre procedure.

GA is indicated in children for a number of reasons including young age, need for multiple extractions, disproportionate anxiety as well as those patients (children and adults) with additional needs who are unable to cope with invasive dental procedures otherwise.

Children with the most complex needs may be referred to the Regional Paediatric Consultant led service in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

All patients placed on a waiting list are graded and prioritised based on clinical urgency following guidelines from the Federation of Surgical Specialities Association (FSSA). Patients can therefore be considered to be acute, urgent or routine.