BDA to rally Northern Irish patient support over budget cuts

The British Dental Association (BDA) is aiming to rally support from dental patients in Northern Ireland for its campaign against government budget cuts that could affect dental care standards.

Three specially designed posters have been created to outline potential threats contained in proposals put forward by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, and will be displayed in dental clinics throughout Northern Ireland.

Patients will be encouraged to join a Facebook campaign against the cuts, which the BDA believes will limit the availability of some treatments and even threaten the livelihood of certain practices.

Dr Peter Crooks, chair of the BDA's Northern Ireland dental practice committee, said: "You cannot provide the same quality care to an increased number of patients for a similar amount of funding. The sums simply don't add up."

In April 2012, BDA executive board chair Dr Susie Sanderson warned that dentistry in the UK is facing a "minefield" of potential problems at present.