The outgoing Health Minister has admitted the NHS dental service in the Isle of Man is ‘broken’.

Fielding his last Tynwald question during Tuesday’s morning before announcing his shock resignation in the afternoon, Lawrie Hooper painted a bleak picture for dental care.

For some time now, people in the island have struggled to register with an NHS dentist with many having to turn to private care. It has even proven difficult to register to get on the waiting list.

After a concerted effort, the waiting list for an NHS dentist was reduced to zero in 2019 but, as of March 2020, 953 were waiting for an NHS dentist.

That rose to 2,614 in 2021 before a slight dip the following year to 2,580. It then rose sharply in 2023 to 3,715 and again in 2024 to 5,332.

In terms of patients allocated an NHS dentist place, there were 2,541 placed in the financial year 2021-22 which more than halved the following year to 1,197 and then more than halved again in 2023-24 to only 520 patients getting allocated.

Responding to a question from Douglas North MHK David Ashford on what action is being taken to tackle the NHS dental waiting list and what consideration has been given to reforming access to NHS dental care, Mr Hooper admitted there has been no opportunity to look into the issue this year.

He said: ‘It is well documented the NHS dental service has been under pressure for a number of years.

‘There is a 53-week wait for an NHS dentist and it is a service that requires reform to provide better care and early intervention.

‘But the department has not been able to progress this reform because of limited resources although emergency dental treatment remains available.

‘The system is fundamentally broken so unless we address that we will not see a resolution. We have to assess the need. I suspect the number wanting an NHS dentist is greater than the numbers on the waiting list.

‘We will need to look at funding for dentistry and how patients are allocated. We need to ensure more people can access an NHS dentist. But this is a long journey that requires time and investment.’

Mr Ashford also asked whether there was a formal process in place to provide priority for certain groups, such as children with Mr Hooper saying children and families were prioritised.

Mr Hooper also explained that dentists do not get paid for having patients on their books but only for those who receive treatment.

Allocations from the waiting list are made when NHS dental practices inform Manx Care they have capacity to take more patients. Some practices have not taken new patients from the list since 2021.

Last year, Manx Care revealed it was considering introducing eligibility criteria in a bid to tackle the waiting list.