Northern Irland Health Minister backs National Smile Month Campaign

Sample News Big

Northern Ireland Health Minister Edwin Poots has reaffirmed his commitment to improving standards of oral health in the country by lending his support to the National Smile Month campaign.

Mr Poots visited Dunmurry Dental Practice to take part in National Smile Month, where he took the opportunity to address dentists and members of the public and promised to focus on improving oral health. Northern Ireland has the poorest standards of oral health in the UK and Poots is eager to bring in new initiatives to boost standards and raise awareness of the importance of good oral health.

Mr Poots said that the government will continue to focus on preventative dental care, following the success of fluoride initiatives. Preventative treatments help to reduce rates of decay by strengthening the teeth, which in the long-run can save money, as well as prevent children and adults from experiencing dental pain.

During his visit to Dunmurry Dental Practice, Mr Poots praised the work of high street and community dental practices. Dunmurry Dental Practice opened in 2004 and has recently undergone an extensive renovation, with the practice serving around 6,500 patients.

 

Join this Discussion

September 15th, 2014 at 08:47 PM
Gemma Gormley Says :

Would you have any recent statistics you would be able to give me on dental hygiene in primary school children?