A proposed EU ban on amalgam fillings will be the “tipping point” that will lead to the collapse of NHS dentistry in Northern Ireland, MLAs have been warned. Representatives of the British Dental Association (BDA) in Northern Ireland told Stormont’s Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee that an arbitrary ban from January next year would cause “irreparable and long-lasting damage” to services. The commission has launched preliminary inquiries into the implications for Northern Ireland of a possible amalgam ban.
The EU is to ban the use of amalgam from January 2025 as part of a health drive to reduce the public’s exposure to mercury. Under post-Brexit trade rules, aspects of EU law still apply in Northern Ireland. Some Member States will be able to benefit from an 18-month derogation if it is shown that the change in the law will have a disproportionate socio-economic impact on low-income households. The amended mercury regulation will also impose a ban on member states exporting dental amalgam. The assembly committee has been set up to scrutinize upcoming changes to EU law as part of the Stormont brake oversight element of the Windsor framework. Tristen Kelso, director of the BDA in Northern Ireland, told MLAs that the proposal to ban amalgam had “rocketed” throughout the dental profession in Northern Ireland. He said dentists were working on a “managed, gradually decreasing course” of amalgam. He said: “Gradually reducing dental amalgam at a rate appropriate for each country is the best and only option for public health. “Given the huge strain already on dental services, it’s also an environmentally responsible approach. “Reducing the use of dental amalgam requires the necessary supports to be put in place by government to manage the move away from this material.”
Mr Kelso added: “Committing under the amended regulation to an arbitrary date in January next year for a phase-out when the necessary preparatory steps, which we fully support, have not been adequately addressed is worrying. “Departing from the established policy of phasing out, which is in place at UK level and which continues to be supported by all four chief dentists, poses significant risks in the form of irreparable and long-term damage to the provision of dental services here.” He said: “Members of the public already struggle to access NHS dental care because the service is so poorly paid. “For financial reasons alone, this regulation if implemented here will be the tipping point for the dental health service.” Reading from written evidence submitted by a Northern Ireland dentist, Mr Kelso said: “The increase in spending and the amalgam ban is the perfect storm, I don’t know any dentist who will be able to deliver any NHS work next year under the circumstances . “NHS dentistry is about to collapse.”
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