Jim Allister urges Health Minister to establish dental hygienist training in Northern Ireland

Inset: North Antrim MP Jim Allister

Northern Ireland should introduce its own university training programme for dental hygienists and therapists to help ease pressures on dental services, according to North Antrim MP Jim Allister.

The Traditional Unionist Voice leader has written to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt calling for the creation of an undergraduate Dental Hygiene and Therapy degree, arguing that the absence of any local training route is contributing to workforce shortages and making it harder for patients to access care.

Calls for local training

While Northern Ireland trains dentists through established university programmes, students wishing to qualify as dental hygienists or dental therapists must currently leave the region to study elsewhere.

Mr Allister said that creates a risk that many qualified professionals do not return to work in Northern Ireland, leaving employers struggling to recruit.

“It is difficult to understand why Northern Ireland continues to train dentists but offers no local pathway for training dental hygienists and therapists.

“The result is that aspiring professionals are forced to leave Northern Ireland to obtain qualifications elsewhere, and many do not return. At a time when dental services are already struggling with workforce shortages, this is a problem of our own making.”

Impact on patients

The North Antrim MP said the shortage of dental hygienists and therapists is affecting not only the profession but also patients waiting to access treatment.

“Most importantly, it is patients who bear the consequences. Dental hygienists and therapists are at the forefront of preventative oral healthcare, helping to tackle gum disease, tooth loss and other conditions before they require more complex treatment.

“When these professionals are in short supply, pressure on dentists increases, waiting times grow and access to care suffers.”

Dental hygienists and therapists play a key role in preventative dentistry, carrying out treatments aimed at maintaining oral health and reducing the need for more complex procedures.

Questions for the Health Minister

Mr Allister also argued that Northern Ireland should become less reliant on recruiting qualified professionals from outside the region.

“Recent changes to professional registration arrangements have exposed the risks of relying on recruitment from outside Northern Ireland to fill these gaps.

“There is a strong case for developing and retaining our own skilled workforce through local training provision rather than depending on external labour markets.”

In his letter to the Health Minister, he has asked whether the Department of Health has assessed the need for a Dental Hygiene and Therapy degree programme in Northern Ireland and whether it is considering commissioning such a course through a local university as part of future workforce planning.

“If we are serious about improving patient access to dental services and strengthening preventative healthcare, then this gap in training provision must be addressed.”

Any decision to introduce a locally commissioned Dental Hygiene and Therapy degree programme would require departmental support and partnership with a university capable of delivering the course.