News

High number of children waiting for dental care in NI

1 min read Children's dentistry
BBC News NI has reportedly obtained figures that show more than 500 children in the country are waiting for urgent dental treatment. However, the figure does not include the hundreds of children that are also waiting for routine procedures.

The longest wait time for urgent extractions is 53 weeks in the Southern Health Trust, which is one of the worst affected areas.

Caroline Lappin, Northern Ireland's chief dental officer, said she "shared the frustration" over the figures.

"There is no quick fix to this in the short term," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"Therefore, the solution is in the shorter term to prioritise children who are having the most significant pain."

The BBC highlighted that “the figures concern children who require removal of teeth under general anaesthetic”.

Addressing this, the chief dental officer said, "General anaesthetic services throughout all the trust areas have been very adversely impacted during the pandemic.

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