Nesbitt confirms dental services investment

Date published: 28 May 2025

He has also announced the expansion of the Happy Smiles programme.

The investment provides funding for:

• Continuation of the Enhanced Child Examination Scheme which provides children aged 0-10 who have not been registered with a dentist with an examination, individualised oral health advice and age-specific fluoride application to teeth to assist with preventing dental decay. From its reintroduction in June 2024 to April 2025, over 37,000 newly registered children have been seen under the scheme;
• The continuation of 30% enhancement to fees paid to dentists for Health Service fillings, extractions and root canal treatment for 2025/26, to support public access to priority treatments;
• The allocation of £1.6m to provide additional support to dental practitioners who continue to provide Health Service dental care for their patients.

The Dental Access Scheme will also continue to provide access for unregistered patients with an urgent or pressing oral health need. Since it commenced on 1st August last year, it has allowed nearly 18,400 high-need patients to receive treatment. The scheme is funded until 2027.

Details of the investment were provided during an Assembly debate on access to dental care.

In addition to this investment directly into General Dental Services, funding is being provided to expand of the Happy Smiles programme.

Happy Smiles was originally launched in 2016 with the aim of improving the oral health of nursery school children in the 20% most deprived areas in Northern Ireland. The programme is being expanded to include Primary 1, 2 and 3 schoolchildren in the 20% most deprived wards.

The Health Minister stated: 

“Alongside these specific interventions, I am clear that the General Dental Services, as with other services, require sustained effort to ensure sustainability over the longer term.

“My Department is committed to advancing work on the long-term future of dental services, to ensure patients can continue to access care when they need it, whilst taking measures to ensure the service is sustainable.

“I have approved the commissioning of a General Dental Services cost of service review to be completed in 2025/26. This will in turn provide a robust evidence base to inform how the service will develop over the coming years.”