More than 500 children in NI waiting for urgent dental work

More than 500 children in Northern Ireland are waiting for urgent dental treatment, according to figures obtained by BBC News NI.

That does not include the hundreds waiting for routine procedures.

In the Southern Health Trust - one of the worst areas affected - the longest wait time for urgent extractions is currently 53 weeks.

Northern Ireland's Chief Dental Officer Caroline Lappin said she "shared the frustration" over the figures.

"There is no quick fix to this in the short term," Ms Lappin told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"Therefore the solution is in the shorter term to prioritise children who are having the most significant pain."

The figures concern children who require removal of teeth under general anaesthetic.

"General anaesthetic services throughout all the trust areas have been very adversely impacted during the pandemic," said Ms Lappin.

"These are children where general anaesthetic services are the last resort and all other treatment options have been exhausted."

The chief dental officer said health trusts have been asked to undergo a revaluation of the children waiting for urgent dental treatment.

"These children are being prioritised alongside other patients who require a theatre slot.

"Our trusts are being asked to prioritise these children in terms of symptoms as opposed to their chronological order on the waiting list."

Ms Lappin said the Covid-19 pandemic had created "huge challenges".

However she added: "Before the Covid pandemic we certainly had a small number of extended waits throughout our trusts in Northern Ireland."

Ms Lappin said a "regional solution" is being worked on that would mean children could be treated in any hospital in Northern Ireland.

"[Treatment] may not be available in the hospital closest to them but concession will be made," she said.

"I share the frustration by colleagues, by children and by their parents indeed in relation to these extremely extended waiting times for treatment.

"I would like to reassure parents that the department and the Health and Social Care Board have been actively working to reduce these waiting times."