Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:23 pm on 22 June 2021.
I'm very aware that dentistry is one of those sectors where we have to be very careful, because the danger of aerosol spread is real and more significant there than in many other sectors. That's why we are still in a situation where we're on an amber warning in relation to dentistry. That means that those restrictions are really quite severe. We have to make sure that there is very significant cleansing in between each patient after treatment. So, we are very aware that this is a difficult situation. I've already had a meeting with my officials on what we can do to speed up the situation when we are able to. There's some very interesting research that's come out from Bangor University to demonstrate that dental assistants can be as accurate in their analysis of check-ups, and so we'll be looking to see if it's possible for us to use dental assistants and to train them up so as to clear some of that backlog. I was just asked about how to get time in the Chamber; I've asked whether it would be possible to come to the Chamber and give an update on the situation in relation to dentistry, because I am aware that this is a particular issue across the whole of Wales.