This has been an extraordinary year and I want to wish our new president Kathryn McKenna every success for 2026, when she will be taking over the reins from Derek Manson.
It really is testament to the dedication of our NI branch council officers that six of the top 10 most booked branch and section events over the past year were Northern Ireland branch events.
It is also fitting that the primary focus of BDA during 2026-28 will be on membership. We want to see our membership grow, and key to this is that every dentist recognises the immense value of everything that our association does on their behalf. That work can only continue with the valued support of our members, and in our drive for new members.
That same level of dedication is also reflected in the work of our BDA NI committees as they represent and advocate on behalf of all dentists in Northern Ireland.
Over the past 12 months our Community Dentists Committee has successfully highlighted key workforce issues impacting on the Community Dental Services (CDS), culminating in a BDA CDS Workforce roundtable event in September.
Our Dental Practice Committee has fought vociferously to highlight the impact of increased employers’ National Insurance contributions on practices. Following a joint campaign with Family Practitioner Services colleagues, we are the only part of the UK where we succeeded in securing £2.5m of recurrent funding towards mitigating increased National Insurance costs. We will also continue to appeal for both payments to be received in this financial year.
We have also secured a Cost-of-Service Review which is being undertaken by Professor Ciaran O’Neill and will report in March to inform the future shape of General Dental Services (GDS) here. In addition to this, following our intense political lobbying, including two assembly debates and multiple Health Committee briefings, we secured £7m additional funding into GDS.
Of course, much more needs to be done to secure adequate investment to stabilise GDS.
Indeed, our advocacy efforts on behalf of private and mixed providers will take on higher importance with the prospect of an investigation into the private dentistry market by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, at the request of the UK Government.
Our very active NI Hospital Dental Services Forum has also highlighted critical Hospital Dental Services workforce gaps directly to key decision-makers, and has advocated on pay alongside BMA colleagues.
We contributed to a review of dental nurse training and gained recognition of both City & Guilds and the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses under the NI Apprenticeship scheme. As well as this, we have engaged directly on a systematic basis with the health minister on wider dental reform and investment, student finance issues, the Review Body for Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration and much more. NI Council has also deepened its local engagement with key bodies including our regulators on pertinent issues such as dental tourism.
We are pleased that a newly constituted Central Dental Advisory Committee will meet in January to give much needed strategic direction on issues connected with provision of dental services across NI. We commend our Chief Dental Officer for taking this important step, and to the Minister for his sign-off.
This year also saw Roz McMullan being honoured with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to mental health and wellbeing in the dentistry profession in Northern Ireland. Yet again, proof if needed of the immense commitment that your BDA Northern Ireland representatives make on behalf of their colleagues and profession, every single day.
In 2026, I am confident that here in Northern Ireland dentists will continue to step forward to serve and to lead on behalf of their colleagues and their profession in the name of BDA.
That’s how we will move dentistry forward, and how we will grow our membership.
Together, we are stronger.
