Save NHS Dentistry in Northern Ireland

Getting an appointment is going to get a whole lot worse. Recently, the EU has banned amalgam fillings from January next year, and because of post-Brexit arrangements, that means a ban in Northern Ireland too.

Amalgam fillings are a huge part of the work dentists do on the NHS here, particularly those in the poorest areas. The costs of using other materials are eye-watering, and that means only one thing. NHS dentistry in Northern Ireland will be a thing of the past.

People in Northern Ireland have the worst oral health inequality in the UK and the highest proportion of filled teeth. If these amalgam fillings can’t be provided on the NHS, it will mean people in agony, going without treatment - and it’ll be the poorest who suffer most.

But there is a way to change this. The ‘Stormont Brake’ gives the Assembly the power to stop EU laws like this one, that would have a detrimental impact on people here.

We demand that Minister Robin Swann starts the process to make sure that dentists can continue to provide NHS dental services throughout NI.