6. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Dental Reform

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:25 pm on 14 March 2023.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 5:25, 14 March 2023

Thanks, Jenny. Well, I'm really excited about this new approach. I think this is something that I hope will work in Blaenau Ffestiniog. If we find that it does work, then obviously what we'll try and do is to target those areas of deprivation as a priority, to make sure that those people, perhaps, who haven't been in a situation where they've been able to access dentistry for a long time, and to get children into that situation where they understand that, actually, you do need to take responsibility for your own oral health. So, what we'll do is to see how this pilot turns out in north Wales and in the meantime look around to see where these other mobile dental units exist. So, Betsi had more than one available. So, we're just trying to map out where they exist, and then obviously we will need some money to make this happen, and obviously the money will need to be spent on staff, and we need to make sure that the staff are available. But what we're talking about here, as I say, are not necessarily dentists, but dental therapists and dental technicians, and it's precisely that approach of dental mix. If there is a complication, then you refer up to the dentist rather than see the dentist refer down, so it's turning the model on its head.